How Bright and Shiny is the New Year
by Celticsage23
Summary: A new year dawns and Taryn McKenna continues her work with SHIELD and the Avengers while her relationship with Captain America/Steve Rogers deepens. Threats surface and her relationship with the Captain is tested. Will they remain strong in the face of adversity? Follow up to "No Second Guesses, No Regrets" Marvel Characters copyright Marvel **Contains Mature Content**
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1**_

 _ **Old Flame, Deep Trouble**_

The new year had dawned bright and cold. A fresh coat of snow lay atop the existing blanket of white. Smoke twirled up from the cabin's chimney as a new fire was lit in the living room fireplace. Taryn McKenna stretched at her counter while her coffee was brewing. Last year had been one hell of a ride. Director of SHIELD, Phil Coulson had coaxed her out of her retirement to come back and work with the Avengers. She never expected things would have the outcome they did. She'd been tortured, shot, lost her powers, gained them back, traveled to the past and got engaged. What a ride. She looked down at her ring and smiled. Diamond, emerald and platinum, purchased in 1946 unbeknownst to her. Time travel had never cross her mind when she became an Agent but in her world, not much phased her anymore.

Rustling from the other room broke her out of her reverie. "All packed?"

Steve Rogers smiled, carrying a duffle bag and his coat. "I'll only be gone a few days, so I'm leaving some things here." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her soundly. "I'm just going to tie a few things up at headquarters and see how things are running. I'll be back soon."

"Well, let me know if you need me down there or anything. I'll be volunteering down at the library while the kids are on break from school, so call my cell." Taryn felt a Quinjet approach and helped him with his coat. "Your ride is here," she joked.

"Got it. I'll call you tonight."

She saw him to the door, kissed him and waived him off as the jet flew off.

Steve called again several nights later to let her know that things were quiet back at HQ and that he planned on being back up on Friday. They would stay another few days in peace before heading back into the grind again for the new year.

Taryn tossed and turned that night not sleeping well and at about four in the morning she anticipated a knock at the door. 'What the hell?' she thought, knowing it wasn't Steve, yet sensing someone familiar.

She grabbed her phone and pulled up the door cam. 'You have got to be kidding…'

Taryn threw on her robe and tromped out to the front door. Standing on her porch was a tall, dark haired man, handsome in a cocky sort of way.

"Miles, what the hell are you doing here?"

He pushed his way in and closed the door.

"Don't get comfortable. You aren't staying."

"Aw, c'mon babe. It's not fit for man nor beast out there. It's snowing like a bitch."

She looked out the window and he was right, she couldn't even see the last porch step. "You planned this, didn't you." The question was rhetorical. "There is no good reason for you to be anywhere near here."

He took off his coat and tossed it on the chair, and moved closer to her. "Of course there is, baby. I missed you."

She raised a brow and threw up her mental walls. "Bullshit. How many times did you cheat on me? When I _finally_ caught you with the last one, I said never again."

"Aw, c'mon. I was young, impetuous…"

"An ass. No. I am happy…"

"What, with Captain Spangles? He's too nice for you…"

"I do not have to justify my relationship with Steve to you. We love each other and are doing very well together. We're engaged now." He started to speak again and she raised a hand. "Just stop. I will let you stay here tonight only. You can have the spare room and I am locking my door. If you attempt to come into my bedroom, you will be electrocuted."

"Jesus, Taryn, you're just a bundle of laughs anymore. What the hell happened to you?"

"I grew up." She walked into the kitchen. "You want a cup of coffee?"

"Yeah." He sat at the counter. "So can we at least be civilized?"

Taryn sighed, staring at the coffee maker. "Fine. Just what are you doing up here, anyway?"

"Investigating a murder in the next county over, actually. A gifted was rather nastily disposed of. So I was sent up ahead of the rest of the SHIELD team." Miles was part of a specialized forensics/investigation team. His ability was a form of Psychometry. However, he could not only sense things from objects, but also rooms and bodies. His mind could reconstruct the last thing played out in an environment, allowing him to envision the entire scenario. SHIELD took him in as soon as he hit the radar and he was trained to be very good at what he did.

"Any leads?" She slid the cup over the counter top to him.

He shook his head. "Nothing yet. It's the fourth one in a month."

Taryn sat down opposite him. "How come I haven't heard of this?"

"Hush, hush right now. Coulson and his team are still looking for Inhumans and they didn't think that these murders have to do with Inhumans."

"Sounds lovely… One more thing I need to worry about."

"Don't worry, I can protect you." He wiggled his brows at her.

"No thanks. I can take care of myself. And I have protection in…"

"Yeah, where is Captain Spangles anyway?"

"Please stop calling him that. He's back at headquarters. He will be coming up here tomorrow… er… later today."

"Well if the storm doesn't cease, he may not."

"He is nothing if not determined. He'll be here."

"Worried to be alone with me again? Tempted by the past?"

"Oh, please. Get over yourself, Miles. I'm going back to bed, _alone_. Don't get any ideas."

The snow had slowed down and by ten in the morning, it had stopped completely. Taryn had busied herself about the cabin, taking care of some last minute things before Steve's arrival. Her cell rang and she smiled.

"Loverboy?" Miles asked, sitting in the living room.

Taryn glared at him. "Hey Steve."

"Hey love. We're just finishing up here and I should be there within an hour or so."

"That sound great. Miss you."

"Miss you…" Miles mocked.

"Is someone else there?" Rogers asked, hearing the voice.

"Unfortunately yes. I'll explain when I see you."

"Ah, okay… see you soon. I love you."

"I love you too. See you soon."

Miles rolled his eyes at her. "Ugh. Old age has made you sappy."

"Don't you have an investigation to work on?'

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do. So I'll stop by later…"

"That isn't necessary…"

"Of course it is. I want to meet Captain Spangles for myself." He threw on his coat. "Later!"

Steve arrived around 11:30 and Taryn had lunch waiting for him. He picked her up in a big hug and kissed her fully. "I missed you."

"Mmm… I missed you too." She smiled and served up some lasagna and salad.

He dug in like he hadn't eaten all week. "So…."

Taryn chuckled already anticipating his question. "Yes, I did have company, unfortunately. My ex dropped in."

He stopped eating and stared at her. "Your ex?"

"Yeah, the one I mentioned when you asked why I left SHIELD. Miles Jenson."

"And… why was he here?"

"You mean besides annoying me? He's investigating a murder in the next county."

"He's a cop?"

She shook her head. "No. SHIELD investigator. His abilities are very specialized and honed. He can 3D map a crime scene in his head and replay events that the scene has recorded. He's quite brilliant, actually. Too bad he knows it and is an ass."

"Why was he here?"

"Got stuck in the snow in the middle of the night and he knew I was here, so…"

"How did he know you were here?"

"He saw the SUV in the driveway…. And before you ask, he slept in the spare room and I told him that my security system would electrocute him if he tried picking the lock on my bedroom door."

Rogers started to chuckle. "I'm sorry. I trust you, just not him, I guess."

Taryn laughed. "Well, there is good reasoning behind that, believe me. She turned on the TV and they cuddled beneath a blanket and watched old movies for the afternoon when around four she glared at the door. "Ugh."

"What's wrong?"

"Brace yourself. Miles is back…" Moments later a knock sounded on the door. She stood and opened it.

"Hey, babe!" and he kissed her quickly before she could push him away with a mental wall. "Captain Spangles here yet?"

She rolled her eyes and opened the door wider. Steve stood, arms folded across his broad chest, standing tall behind her.

Miles stepped in, removed his gloves and extended a hand. "Captain Rogers, a pleasure to meet you. Agent Miles Jenson."  
Steve hesitated, but cordially accepted. "Agent Jenson…"

"Ah, please call me Miles." He took off his coat and hung it, making himself at home.

"Miles…" Steve grumbled through clenched teeth. "Taryn tells me you're working an investigation. Why aren't you there now?"

"Subtle," replied Miles with a sarcastic smile. "Straight and to the point. Fair enough. The other SHIELD agents are cleaning up, taking the body for autopsy, all that fun stuff."

"And so you're here, why?" Steve was becoming increasingly agitated and Miles seemed to be enjoying that.

"Well, it is around dinner time, and I thought…"

"There's a great diner in town," Steve interrupted.

Taryn had to laugh. It was rather amusing to watch the two of them annoy the hell out of each other.

Miles chuckled and turned to Taryn. "Can I get some dinner? I'm assuming you're playing housewife to Captain Spangles here? You must have cooked something…"

Steve dropped his arms and got right in his face. "You're pushing it, son."

"Son? Oh, yeah, I forgot you're like 90. That's kind of stretching things for you, isn't it Taryn? Though the physique is pretty buff… must be good in bed if you're keeping him around…"

And Steve swung hard, clocking Miles square in the jaw and he went down like a sack of potatoes.

"Damn it," swore Miles, rubbing his jaw. "Ok, I guess I deserved that. Well, I suppose I'd better head back into town."

"That might be best," replied Steve, looming over him.

He gathered his things, looking defeated. "I'll keep you posted on the investigation." Taryn nodded and shut the door behind him.

Steve paced the room. "I'm sorry I lost my temper…"

Taryn waived it off. "Actually it was kind of hot. No guy has every stood up for me like that before."

He stopped pacing and placed his hands on her shoulders. "And that just isn't right." He pulled her in for a hug and cradled her head in his hand close to his chest. "No one talks to my girl like that and gets away with it."

She squeezed him tight, relishing his solid arms around her. "C'mon, let's have some dinner."


	2. Chapter 2 - Night Terrors

_**Chapter 2**_

 _ **Night Terrors**_

That night, Taryn did not sleep soundly. Her dreams were vivid and panicked. She dreamed of being chased, of losing track of Steve. Miles' face appeared more than once. He was hurt, bleeding. She shouldn't care, but he was a human being after all and a fellow SHIELD agent… Taryn shot out of bed, drenched in sweat and suddenly her phone buzzed.

Grabbing it off the nightstand, she saw a text from Miles. The clock read three in the morning and the text had been sent at two. Why the delay? She read the text. "Taryn," it stated. "I'm in trouble. I think the killer is tracking me. I'm at the hotel in town, but I can't stay… too dangerous. Let me know when you get this message."

She hated Miles for what he had done to her in the past, but he was afraid for his life now and she couldn't ignore it. She then recalled the dream she woke from, only now she suspected it wasn't a dream. "Oh my god."

"Taryn?" came a sleepy voice from beside her. "You okay?'

"No," she answered truthfully. "Just had a nightmare about Miles and a text soon after saying he's in trouble. He thinks the killer is tracking him now."

Steve signed and sat up, rubbing his face. He'd known her long enough to know that she didn't take her premonitions lightly and neither did he. "Okay, what do we need to do?"

"I texted him and tried to call but nothing… This isn't good…"

"Right. I'll alert SHIELD. You go and suit up and I'll be right behind you."

Taryn smiled softly. "Thank you. I know he's a jerk but…"

"But he's also a fellow SHIELD agent."

She nodded, kissed him, then dashed down to her war room in the basement. Taryn donned a Kevlar jumpsuit and grabbed her guns and ammo. She tied her hair back in a tight ponytail and laced up her boots. Steve entered the room and donned some gear himself.

"I've contacted SHIELD," he stated. "They'll be sending an agent from his team, but they won't be here until later on. We're on our own right now."

Taryn nodded and pulled on a heavy Kevlar jacket both for protection and warmth. "Ready?"

He nodded and kissed her fully, as he did prior to every mission they were on together. It drove the others to nausea but she loved it. "I love you," he whispered, kissing her forehead.

"I love you," she responded and they headed down in the tunnel and out the garage. Hopping into the SUV, Taryn got behind the wheel and drove them to the Hotel.

The young man at the front desk of the hotel smiled when they entered. "Hi, Taryn, what can I do for you?"

She smiled. "Official SHIELD business, I'm afraid, Daniel. What time did Agent Jenson check out?"

Daniel checked the computer. "It looks like around 2:15 this morning. He was rather agitated and it looked like he hadn't slept."

"Did he register a license plate for the parking lot?"

With a few more clicks he found a plate number and he handed it to Steve. "I'll check the lot for the car."

"And I'll head upstairs. Daniel, can I get the room key? Has anyone else been in the room that you know of?"

He handed Taryn the keycard and shook his head. "Shouldn't have been. Housekeeping doesn't start rounds until 6:30."

"Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate it." She turned to Steve. "Meet me upstairs when you're done."

Steve nodded and jogged out to the lot. It was fairly empty as it was still the middle of the night. He found the vehicle in the back lot, unlocked. He did a quick search of the interior making sure he wore his gloves. He found droplets of blood in the back seat, fairly fresh. He popped the trunk, but it was empty. Very puzzled, he made his way back inside and upstairs.

Taryn reached out with her mind but did not sense Miles in the building. Taryn drew her pistol and checked the hall, then made her way into the room. She locked the door behind her. Scanning the room quickly, nothing seemed out of place. The bed did not look slept in and judging by Daniel's description of Miles, it hadn't been.

She used her thoughts to move everything, not wanting her fingerprints to corrupt any evidence. She opened the closet and his suitcase remained. Puzzled, she drew it out and placed it on the bed. She manipulated the zippers and opened the case. Taryn gently removed each layer of clothing looking for clues.

Steve knocked at the door and it unlocked and opened. "Don't touch anything," Taryn called and closed the door behind him with a thought. "Find anything?"

Steve nodded. "The rental car was still in the lot. Nothing in the trunk but I found some blood traces in the back seat."

Taryn scowled. "That's not good…" She continued to look through the case, and the second to the last layer revealed a clue. A business card, placed neatly in the middle. Miles left it there on purpose. "Steve, look at this."

The business card floated before him. "Fine wines and liquors? What has this got to do anything?"

"Miles didn't drink hard liquor. It messed with his abilities too much. It might be someone he spoke with during his investigation. This may be the next place to look."

"Where is Wallace?" he asked, looking at the address on the card.

"It's in the next county over. Possibly where he was investigating. I don't know if he's gone back there or not, but right now, it's our only lead."

The two completed a thorough search of the room and found nothing else of consequence. They went back down to the lobby and asked Daniel if there were any rooms occupied around Miles' room, and there were not.

"Do you remember anything else when Miles left?"

He stared at the counter top for a moment. "Not really. I asked him if the room was satisfactory and he said it was fine, but he had to leave. He didn't want anyone getting hurt…"

Taryn looked at Steve. "What about surveillance? Do you have cameras in the lot?"

Daniel nodded, "Come on back. The monitors are in the back room."

Daniel sat them down and found the video for the proper time then left them to watch. The first video they watched was clocked at 2:14 am. Miles had just gotten off the elevator, struggling to put his coat on. He nervously approached the front desk and kept glancing around and behind. Moments later, he dashed out the front door.

The next video showed him running to the car. He opened the back door and appeared to be looking for something. All of a sudden a dark shape appeared behind him. It grabbed him out of the car and struck him across the face and he fell back into the back seat.

"That explains the blood…" said Steve.

The shape started to become more male looking and solid. It grabbed Miles from the car, slung him over his shoulder and disappeared into the shadows.

"What the hell was that?!"

Taryn shrugged, visibly shaken. "Miles said they didn't believe he was tracking an Inhuman. It's gotta be a mutant or gifted… Where the hell was he taken?"

"Maybe we'd better get a second look at the car."

Taryn thanked Daniel as they came out of the back room and she and Rogers made their way outside to the lot. Looking up and behind her, she could see the camera on a pole. She traced the steps that Miles ran. The sky was beginning to lighten and it was easier to see details.

Neither found anything on the ground on the way to the vehicle. Taryn opened the door with her mind and sat in the driver's seat. She opened the glove box, the center console and looked under the front seat but found nothing. Moving to the back seat, she saw the blood that Steve had reported.

Looking under the seat she saw something lodged beneath. Reaching in with her thoughts, she wedged it free and pulled it out. Floating in the air between them was some sort of weapon.

"What is it?" asked Steve while looking around it.

Taryn shook her head. "I don't know… some sort of energy weapon… Looks like some of the things I saw at the Tech and Mech expo."

Steve scowled. "Why would a gifted want to use a weapon like this?"

"To incapacitate other gifted… I don't know if it's Miles' or whomever took him. It doesn't look like SHIELD issue…" Taryn pulled an evidence bag out of her pack and dropped it in. "We'd better have this analyzed for prints. I can do that back at the cabin."

"Think we ought to wait for Miles' team member?"

"No time. If my dream was right, he's getting his ass kicked. I don't think he's dead, though. I would have felt it."

Those words brought back the realization to Steve that Taryn and Miles and been involved… intimate… She had mentioned once that the more involved she became with someone, the more she could sense them… feel their presence and even well-being. It made him uncomfortable to think about, but he had a job to do.

They did more searching around the car and the area of the lot, but found no more clues. Rogers and McKenna made their way back to her cabin and down to the basement.

Taryn walked over to a panel and opened it to reveal what looked like a small CSI lab. She set to work on the prints and Steve sat down at her computer reviewing the copies of the surveillance videos Daniel had provided them.

Taryn managed to lift two sets of prints off the weapon. Once retrieved, she set them into the data base and waited for matches. Miles' prints came back right away, but it was still searching the others. Taryn stood and stretched, walking over to Steve who was scouring the videos. She rubbed his shoulders and she felt him tense.

"What?"

"Er… nothing…"

"Liar." She pushed the laptop out of the way and sat on the desk in front of him. "You're upset because I can still sense Miles, aren't you."

Rogers sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know… Yes, I guess…"

"Just because he and I are long over doesn't mean that I can turn the connection off like a switch. It's faded over time, but it will be a long time before it goes away, if ever."

He sighed. "I guess I just wish you _could_ turn it off."

Taryn laughed. "And you don't think I do too?" She held up her hand to silence him. "I can't help what my abilities are capable of. I can't turn them on and off. I love you and you are the only man I want. If you can't accept that, then I don't know what to tell you." She started to get up and he stood and grabbed her arms.

"I'm sorry, Taryn. I'm sorry for being so jealous or whatever you want to call it. I love you more than I ever thought possible. I don't want to fight about this. I just want to find Miles safe so we can all get on with our lives."

Taryn smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Apology accepted. Don't fret so much. I'm not going anywhere. I'm looking forward to what the future brings."

He grinned. "Good. I am too." He kissed her soundly and would have loved more, but her lab beeped.

Taryn looked at the findings and discovered that the prints were registered to a man by the name of Thomas Caine. He had a list of minor infractions in his record and nothing in the SHIELD database. The last known address was located in Wallace.

"I think that's our next stop. Check out the house and if nothing is there, then check out the liquor store," Taryn suggested, locking up the evidence for further examination.

"Hey Steve? Any idea when the agent from Miles' team is supposed to get here?"

He shook his head. "SHIELD said they were on assignment and wouldn't be able to get here until the afternoon."

Taryn glanced at the clock. It was only seven in the morning. "We'll have to contact SHIELD to let them know where we're going so the agent can find us. We can't wait around until this afternoon." All of a sudden Taryn's stomach grumbled loudly and she laughed. "I guess I'm hungry."

Steve chuckled. "Well we've been going since three. I'll whip up something quick and you contact SHIELD."


	3. Chapter 3 The Search Begins

_**Chapter 3**_

 _ **The Search Begins**_

Taryn came upstairs to the smell of bacon cooking. Steve threw together some breakfast burritos and coffee for the road. They got back into the SUV and headed to Wallace.

Steve could sense Taryn was anxious. She usually was calm and collected, but this entire case had her on edge. Not only was it someone she knew, but the killer was after gifteds, of which she was one. She could be in serious danger, and Steve would need to keep sharp. They arrived at the last known address of Thomas Caine. Taryn took a deep breath and reached out, setting her mind to search for someone in the house. She sensed two people… She probed a bit further and found a younger person's mind. A girl. She was getting ready for school. The adult in the house was female, the mother perhaps… She explained her findings to Rogers who agreed to wait for the girl to leave for school before they went into speak with the woman.

The two watched from down the street as the school bus picked up the girl. Waiting until the bus got around the corner, they made their way to the house. Steve let Taryn take the lead and she rang the bell, stepping back.

A dark haired woman almost Taryn's height answered the front door. "Can I help you?"

Taryn showed the woman her SHIELD badge/ID and introduced herself and Rogers. The woman smiled softly, "I know who you are. My daughter loves you both," she looked almost sad. "Please, won't you come in?"

The two Avengers looked at each other and followed the woman in. Taryn reached out and sensed no one else in the house. The woman led them to the living room. "I'm Myra Dillon. Tom Caine is my ex-husband. I'm assuming that is why you're hear?"

Rogers nodded. "Do you know his whereabouts, Ms. Dillon?"

"Myra, please. I'm afraid I don't. The last time he came by was about six months ago. Came to see Kelly, our daughter, for her birthday. He's always so good for holidays and birthdays, but…"

"But?" Taryn probed.

Myra sighed. "He's… different. He can do things with his mind. Like you, but not like you… I don't understand it."

"Do you know if he has always been like that, or is it recent?" Taryn asked, wondering if it was spurned by the Terrigen.

"He was always like that. Born that way I guess. But I think the last few years it has over whelmed him."

So, not Inhuman… "So how has his behavior changed, Myra?"

"He was just… darker. More argumentative… he never hurt me or Kelly though. I always wondered if someone would come looking for him."

"Looking for him? Because of his abilities?" Steve asked.

She nodded, looking weary. "I guess so. But as I said, I haven't spoken to him in about six months. I don't know where he is now."

Taryn glanced at Steve and took out a contact card. "If you happen to hear from him, please call."

Myra took the card. "Is he… in some kind of trouble?"

"We'd just like to speak with him." And the two stood. "Thank you for your time, Myra, we appreciate it."

"You're welcome. I'm sorry I wasn't much help. Oh! Can you wait a moment, please?" Myra dashed off up the stairs and came back moments later holding a magazine. "I'm sorry to ask, but would you sign this for Kelly?"

Myra handed Taryn a People magazine that had the two of them on the cover with an article recently written on them and their relationship. Taryn chuckled and took the sharpie from Myra and wrote 'Best Wishes, Taryn "Vibe" McKenna'. Steve signed his name and handed it back to her.

"Thank you so much. Again, I'm sorry I couldn't be of any help."

"That's okay," said Taryn. "Just call if you think of anything, or hear from him."

Steve and Taryn left the home and returned to their vehicle. "Do you think she was telling the truth?" Rogers asked.

"She doesn't know where he is; she's not lying about that. I guess our next stop should be the liquor store."

They drove across town and waited until the store opened at nine. Taryn closed her eyes and breathed deeply and tried to stretch her mind out to search for Miles.

Steve looked over at her. Her brow was furrowed and her cheeks flushed. Moments later she opened her eyes. "Damn it. I just can't sense him. He isn't dead but it's like he's nowhere. I think he's being held somewhere that is either shielded or someone is shielding him."

He took her hand and kissed it. "You okay? That looked almost painful."

She nodded. "Yeah, it's just frustrating." Taryn saw the 'Open' sign flip on the door and pointed. "C'mon. Let's go talk to them."

The man behind the counter was an older gentleman dusting off the shelves behind him. "Hey there, folks. What can I help you with?"

Taryn smiled and showed her ID. "We're looking for this man. Have you seen him?"

The man picked up the tablet from the countertop and scanned the photo image. "Hmm… looks like Tom. Tom Caine. He used to live in town, helped me out from time to time. He used to take advantage of his employee discount too, if you know what I mean. He quit after his divorce and moved out to the country as I understood it. He came in once or twice after that, but I haven't seen him in ages."

Steve stepped up to the counter. "Do you know where he moved to?"

The man shook his head. "I'm not sure. I know his family had a farm at one time out on Route 32. That could be it."

Taryn smiled. "Thank you for your time." Once out to the vehicle, she sighed, frustrated. Pulling out the tablet, she brought up a map of the area. It looked like 32 started here in Wallace and headed north. There was a lot of open country along that route by the look of things. She was about to show Steve the map when her phone rang. She put it on speaker. "Agent McKenna speaking."

"Agent McKenna, this is Agent Jill Mullins. I'm a member of Miles' team."

"Yes, Agent Mullins, I have Captain Rogers with me."

"I'm about an hour out from Wallace," the agent stated. "I was able to get out of my assignment to get up there. What's the situation?"

Taryn explained to her all that they had discovered so far. "We're on our way out to Route 32 now."

"Understood. Ping me when you think you have something and I'll try to get there quicker."

Rogers pulled the SUV onto the road and they headed north. Steve drove so that Taryn could concentrate on scanning the area for any anomalies. They were about 45 minutes outside of Wallace when Taryn grabbed Steve's arm and he immediately pulled over.

"I sense something… or rather a lack of something. It's like a void that isn't natural." She got out of the vehicle and walked around, looking at the landscape. Then she pointed. "There."

Steve took out binoculars and scanned the farm she had pointed to. It looked run down. Part of the barn roof was caving in. The farmhouse was in desperate need of paint and window repair.

"No signs of life."

"Hmm… not on the outside, anyway. Something isn't right over there."

Steve continued to scan while Taryn called Agent Mullins to let her know where they were. Moments later, Mullins blinked into existence next to the vehicle. Steve jumped.

"Sorry, I should have mentioned I'm a Teleporter. I thought it best under the circumstances." Taryn nodded and filled her in on everything so far. "And you're sure that's the place?"

"It's the only farm around here that doesn't feel right."

Mullins looked skeptical and Steve interjected. "I've worked with Taryn for a while now. I trust her instincts."

Mullins shrugged. "If it's good enough for Captain America, it's good enough for me. Let's go."

Steve grabbed his shield and Taryn her pistols and ICERs. Mullins checked her guns and nodded. She then took their hands and teleported them to the back side of the house. Steve took the lead, followed by Mullins then Taryn, who kept scanning the property for any life signs.

Suddenly Taryn's phone buzzed in her pocket. She shrugged and took it out. "Hello? Agent McKenna."

"Agent McKenna, its Myra… Myra Dillon. Kelly is missing."

"What do you mean missing?"

"She never got on the bus this afternoon. When I called school, they told me her father picked her up." She started to cry.

"Calm down, Myra. Don't worry. We're at Tom's farm now. I will call you soon."

Taryn hung up and tucked the phone back in a pocket. "Myra thinks Tom has their daughter, Kelly. I don't know… something just doesn't feel right. But I can't sense anything here. We'll have to search the place thoroughly."

The trio started with the house. Heading through the back door, they split up and took the basement, first floor and second. Finding evidence of someone staying in the house, but little else, the three met in the kitchen and continued through the out buildings.

Taryn was slammed with a headache as soon as they reached the barn. "Oh yeah, there's something here, alright." Steve steadied her as Mullins made her way into the barn.

McKenna threw up walls around them all and sent out feelers to get a scan of the barn. In the far corner, beneath what looked like the caved in roof, she sensed an opening.

Mullins ran over to the area. "There's a trap door over here in the floor."

Taryn nodded and lifted the debris off with a thought. It had been planted there to hide the door. Steve opened it up, hefted his shield and proceeded down the narrow steps. Taryn handed him a flashlight and the three made their way down a dark cement corridor.

Things were still cloaked, but Taryn could stretch out to sense several people in the area. She could not, however, distinguish them apart. A light ahead alerted them to the presence of a room. Steve approached the door way and peered inside. Scanning the room, he saw a few chairs, a table and a figure slumped in a far corner. They crept in and discovered the figure was Tom Caine.

"He's still alive, but needs medical attention right away," said Steve.

Taryn turned to Mullins. "Jill, do you think you can teleport him out of here? Get him to a hospital?"

Mullins nodded. "I think so. The interference is minimal here."

Steve helped him to his feet. "Kelly… he has Kelly… He'll kill her…" managed Tom in a raspy voice.

"Don't worry, Tom. We'll find her. Agent Mullins is going to get you to safety. We'll find Kelly."

He nodded weakly and Jill wrapped her arm around him. "I'll be back as soon as I can," and they disappeared in an instant.

Steve found another doorway near where Tom had been. "Can you sense anything?"

Taryn nodded. "I do, but can't get a strong reading. This way." She led them through the door and into another hall. They could hear voices now, coming from another room then silence. They waited for a moment, then proceeded into the next room. Another desk sat against a wall, chairs were strewn about, old papers sat scattered on the desk. Taryn was starting to feel a strong presence on their path ahead and noted that to Steve.

"Do you think it's the killer?"

She nodded. "It feels like something I felt a long time ago. While training, we had been tracking a rogue gifted. He hadn't killed anyone, but it feels like the same signature. Had a hell of a fight with him and a few other rogue gifted that didn't want to come in… Come to think of it, Miles was on the team to bring them in as well…"

Rogers looked at her. "You think it's all connected?"

"It's too much of a coincidence to not be…"

They continued down the hall way and suddenly Taryn threw up a mental wall in front of them. Two men came rushing around the corner and Taryn could feel they had strong abilities. They bounced off her shield, dazed.

Rogers took advantage of their disorientation and dropped them with a punch to the head each. Jill blinked back into the basement behind them.

"Tom's been taken to the hospital and he is under guard until we can question him. What's the situation?"

Steve explained the two men and Taryn's theory on the killer. They continued through the maze of rooms until they came to a large darkened room. He could hear whimpering in the shadows somewhere.

Taryn set a hand on his arm. "Be careful. Tom's daughter, Kelly is in here somewhere, but so is someone else. I'll keep us all shielded for as long as I can."

Steve felt a kind of warmth envelope him. Taryn's shield. It was familiar to him now, and comforting because he knew it was effective against physical and mental threats.

Taryn explained to Jill, however, as she was unfamiliar with her shielding. They then made their way through the room, sticking to the walls and not out in the open.

Light suddenly flooded the center of the room. A man stood in the pool of light, arms folded across his chest. He looked haggard and drawn, his eyes sunken.

"Well, well, well. Agent McKenna. I did not expect to see you here. Come for your lover, Agent Jenson?"

Steve twitched, knowing it wasn't true, but it still got under his skin.

"So, I was right," Taryn stated. "Alexander Doren. What have you done? Let Miles and the girl go."

He shrugged. "The girl can go. I'm done with her. You've taken her father away anyway… But Miles stays."

Kelly came running into the light and to them. She threw her arms around Taryn, crying. Taryn knelt down and dried her tears. "You're safe now," she told her quietly. "Agent Jill here is going to get you out of here."

Kelly sniffled and Jill took her hand and disappeared.

"Agent McKenna, you've grown. Your powers feel so very delicious. I shouldn't have let the other one go. I haven't collected a teleporter yet."

"Give it up, Doren. You won't win."

"Tsk, tsk, Agent McKenna. I have many powers at my disposal now. I can defeat you easily. Your abilities will be a nice addition to my collection."

"Don't be too sure of that, Doren. I'm a lot stronger than you think," she replied, skirting around him in the dark. "I've no intention of losing anything to you. Now where is Miles?"

More light flooded the room and Taryn gasped as she saw Miles strapped against the wall. He was still breathing but barely. They had to get him out, now. Just then Jill returned and Taryn surrounded her with a shield.

"Listen quickly," said Taryn. "Rogers and I will distract him and you get Miles out and to the hospital. Don't come back. Stay with Miles and make sure he's safe"

Jill nodded. "Stay safe yourself."

They spread out and Doren continued to address Taryn. She kept him talking so that Jill could port over to Miles and free him.

"No!" screamed Doren. He shot lightning in Jill's direction but she blinked out with Miles before it struck them.

Steve launched his shield catching Alexander in the back and he pitched forward. Doren shot lightning again and it bounced off Taryn's projected shield.

"Damn you, McKenna!" and he began to try and syphon power from her.

Taryn could feel the shield around her weaken and she amped up the output. Her brow broke out in a cold sweat and with a burst of energy, she threw a wall at him, crackling and sparking.

It knocked Doren over and when he tried to get up, Steve shot his shield at him again. They both inched closer to him, Taryn straining to keep her shielding up as Doren kept pouring out energy himself. He was unfamiliar with all the powers he had apparently absorbed and it was overloading him.

"Alexander, just stop and let us help you! You're overwhelmed…"

"Never! I will never give up collecting! It's too glorious!"

"It will kill you, Doren. You'll end up like one of your victims."

"You're just jealous…" He was sweating profusely, the energy clearly affecting him negatively. He shot out another burst and knocked Taryn through the room, shattering her shields. Steve threw his weapon, distracting him. Doran turned his attention on him and began bombarding Rogers with bursts of energy.

Rogers deflected them as best he could and he stole a glance over at Taryn who was regaining her senses. She wiped her nose with the back of her glove, finding it was bleeding from the stress. While Doren was distracted, she gathered herself and grabbed her ICERs. She fired several shots at his back, and he went down like a stone. Taryn stumbled back and grabbed the floor for support.

Steve let out a deep breath and ran over to Taryn. "Are you okay!?"

She nodded. "I will be once the room stops spinning."


	4. Chapter 4 - Ablutions

_**Chapter 4**_

 _ **Ablutions**_

Jill, while at the hospital with Miles, had called SHIELD to relay status and to get back up sent to the farm. Steve was helping Taryn out of the barn when Agents swarmed all over the property. Jill popped in to find them sitting outside on a stump. She came running over to them. "How are you? Did you get Doren?"

Steve nodded. "SHIELD is restraining him now to take in."

Taryn took a deep breath, wiping her nose again. "How is Miles? Kelly?"

"Kelly is fine and her mother was called in. She's currently under observation. Miles has been stabilized."

"Thank you for getting them out. And Tom Caine?"

"He is also stable." Jill called a medic over to attend to Taryn. "We'll get you checked out and then you can question him."

Steve had gone down to passageways to make sure the agents found Doren and came back moments later. Jill gave them some space. He nodded his thanks and crouched down beside Taryn. He brushed her hair from her eyes as she sat with packing up her nose.

"You gonna be okay?" he asked with deep concern.

She nodded. "It's been a long dime since I'be exbended so buch energy," she said while holding her nose closed to stop the bleeding.

He chuckled. "Let's get you to the hospital. SHIELD is taking care of containing Doren. We can question him later."

"I'd like to at least hear Tom's side of the story too."

Steve nodded and pulled her to her feet, the medic cleared her to go on to the hospital and Steve drove them.

"That was quite a fight back there," said Steve to break the silence.

Taryn turned from the window. "Yeah. It sounds like Alexander Doren was killing gifteds to absorb their powers. He was just a petty thief back when I first came across him. We tried to help him back then, but he couldn't be convinced. Now he's killed people and gone insane… Still it makes me grateful that my parents let me go with SHIELD. Otherwise that could have happened to me…"

They arrived at the hospital and Taryn was examined thoroughly and released. They then went up to Tom Caine's room. He was hooked up to numerous IVs but looked better than when they had found him.

"Did you find Kelly?" Was the first question he asked when he saw them.

Taryn smiled softly. "She's safe. Another Agent brought her here."

Tom looked visibly relieved. "Thank God. I never thought he'd take her…"

"Why did he?"

"He found me to help him track down gifteds in this area. He told me he would hurt her and my ex-wife if I didn't help him. I didn't know he was killing them… When I found out and told him to go to hell, that's when he kidnapped Kelly. I never meant for anyone to get hurt…"

Taryn touched his hand gently. "Rest easy. We'll talk to the authorities and let them know you didn't do any of the killings. Did you witness any?"

Tom shook his head. "No. I never saw him interact with any of them. Just that Agent he had… Miles? He tortured him…"

Taryn patted his hand. "Try to get some rest. We'll check on you again."

They left his room and made their way down to Jenson's room. Steve sat outside the door and let Taryn go in alone. Miles had been beaten quite severely. His left eye was swollen shut and he had stitches all along his jaw. His ribs were wrapped and his breathing was shallow. His eyes fluttered open as Taryn stood by his bed.

He managed a small smile. "Hey," he croaked.

"Hey. How are you feeling?"

"Grateful that you got me out of there."

"Well, actually Jill… Agent Mullins did."

"She did? I thought I saw her but figured I was hallucinating."

"She helped us track Doren and port you out and the young girl, Kelly."

"She's safe then? I couldn't protect the girl…. Not with Doren hammering on me like he was. He was trying to absorb my powers, wasn't he?"

Taryn nodded. "He killed the others for theirs. Kelly was a pawn to keep her father helping him. He's in SHIELD custody now. Your team can interrogate him."

Miles nodded and reached for her hand. "Taryn, thank you. I could always count on you. I'm sorry I hurt you all those years ago. I'm glad you have a good life. Even if it is with Captain Spangles."

Taryn couldn't help but chuckle. "Always the wise ass."

He managed a shrug. "Wouldn't be me otherwise."

"True. I'll let you get your rest and we'll check on you again soon."

"Thank you again. For everything."

She smiled softly and exited the room. She found Rogers in a chair down the hall. "You okay?" she asked him.

"I'm fine."

She raised a brow. "I'm concerned for Miles' well-being, yes. But I'm not going to run off with him. He thanked me and he even said he was happy for me… in his own unique way…"

"Oh… well…. I didn't mean to imply… What I mean to say is I trust you."

"Well, gee, thanks," she joked.

"No! I mean…"

"I'm yours, Rogers. Get used to it." And she kissed him quickly in the hall because she knew they were gathering an audience.

Taryn felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Kelly standing there. "Hi, Kelly! I'm so glad to see you're okay. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thank you. Thank you to you and Captain America for saving me."

Steve smiled at the twelve year old. "You're welcome. You were a very brave young lady."

She blushed fiercely. "Can I… can I get a picture with you both? My friends would never believe me!"

Myra stood behind her and chastised her. "Kelly! They're busy people…"

Taryn laughed. "It's okay Myra. Would you take the picture?"

Myra sighed, but chuckled. "Okay, okay." She snapped the photo on the phone. Kelly took it from her to stare at and to send it to friends. Myra stepped close to Taryn with tears in her eyes. "I don't know how to thank you…" She pulled Taryn into a tight hug.

Taryn patted her back. "It's okay, Myra. She's safe. And Tom didn't take her. He was just a pawn in a criminal's game."

Myra nearly collapsed. "Oh, thank God. I didn't think he could be so cruel and callous…"

"He's in a room down the hall if you'd like to speak with him."

She nodded and took Kelly's hand and led her down the hall.

Steve put his arm around Taryn's shoulders. "Shall we head out of here?"

She nodded. "Yeah… let's get back to the cabin. I need a shower."

On their way out, Taryn looked into Miles' room and saw Jill sitting on the edge of his bed talking to him and holding his hand. She smiled.


	5. Chapter 5 - Back To The Grind

_**Chapter 5**_

 _ **Back to the Grind**_

By the time they got back to the cabin, Taryn was just about asleep on her feet. She unlocked the front door and promptly flopped down on the couch.

Steve chuckled and pulled her back on her feet. "Come on. I'll help you get undressed and into bed."

"If I wasn't so tired, I'd run with that statement…." She shuffled into the bedroom and disrobed leaving her clothes in a pile on the floor. "I'll get that later." Taryn pulled on an oversized tee shirt and crawled in under the sheets. "Ohh… that is glorious…"

Rogers stripped down and pulled on some lounge pants. "It has been an awfully long day and it isn't even dinner time." He slipped into the bed behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Mmm… don't care…. Need sleep… eat later…."

And with that, they crashed until about ten o'clock that night. Taryn stretched luxuriously and finally felt recharged. Powering up all those walls against Doren had really drained her. She definitely needed that time to recharge. Her stomach grumbled. She definitely needed to refill that too. Taryn brushed the hair from her eyes and padded out to the kitchen.

Steve was heating up some lasagna he pulled from the freezer and was just opening a bottle of wine when she came into the room. "I thought you might be hungry."

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm starving."

Rogers poured them glasses. "To another successful mission."

She smiled. "Thank you for your help with catching Doren and rescuing Kelly and Miles."

"My pleasure. It's what we do. I'm glad you asked me to help."

They ate quietly, still recovering from the strenuous day. Within an hour, Taryn felt revitalized. She leaned back in her chair and finished her glass of wine. "I feel so much better. Thanks for heating up the lasagna."

He nodded. "So now that we're fed and awake, what's on the agenda?"

"Well, I could use a shower. Care to join me?"

"Sure. You get started and I'll clean up the dishes."

"You got a deal," she smiled and retreated to the master bath. She ran the water, getting the room steamy, then she stepped into the shower and stood there under the stream. She sighed deeply as she let herself relax even more. She breathed slowly and purposefully, employing some meditation techniques to recoup her mental faculties.

Steve finished the last dish and placed it in the drainer. Satisfied with his work, he made his way to the master bedroom where he could hear the shower running. He disrobed and knocked gently on the bathroom door and entered. He could see Taryn's form behind the steamy glass and marveled at how his life had changed so drastically from this time last year. One moment he's fighting deadly robots on the other side of the world, next he's in a sleigh proposing to his girl on Christmas Eve. His girl… he'd even given up on that idea when he moved into the new SHIELD facility. Never thought he'd find someone like Taryn to share his life with. He was one lucky son of a…

"You coming in here, or what?"

He laughed and stepped into the shower with her. "Feeling better?"

"Much, thank you. You?"

"Well I certainly didn't expend as much energy as you did. I was concerned when your nose started bleeding."

"It doesn't happen often, but I felt like I was fighting off eight guys with powers not just one. It was pretty intense."

Steve moved his hands over her shoulders, his thumbs working on the fading knots. She dropped her head and sighed. As he massaged her neck, she reached behind her, running her hands along his thighs. "Mmm my goodness, Captain, what have we here?"

He ran his hands down her arms to her waist. He nuzzled her neck and whispered in her ear. "See what you do to me?" He sucked on her earlobe as his hands wandered to her breasts and he cupped them in his large hands. "No woman has done anything to me like this…. You make me think very wicked thoughts, Taryn McKenna."

She continued to stroke him. "And what are you going to do about it?" Taryn turned around to face him and wrap both hands around his girth, and they slipped back and forth along his length.

He nearly stumbled back to lean against the cold tile wall. His hand went up and grabbed the back of her head, his fingers entwined in her hair. "God, woman..." he groaned. "I just want to make you scream my name…"

Taryn grinned devilishly and put one leg up on the built in bench, effectively trapping him against the wall. "Then do it... make me scream your name." She kissed him fiercely as she continued to stroke his hard length. He moaned loudly into her mouth and moved his hand from her breast down to caress the soft trimmed curls below her waist. She was already wet in anticipation, and when he slipped his fingers in, she almost lost strength in her legs. She gasped. "Ohh… yessss…" It felt like electricity shot through her as his fingertips brushed against her core.

Steve ravaged her neck with kisses as he slipped two fingers inside her. "Tell me Taryn, is that what you want?" He thrust his fingers into her.

"Oh, God, Steve… it's a damn good start… Ahhh!" She couldn't hold herself together anymore and felt herself release. Steve held her close and kissed her almost roughly. "Do you want me inside you?" he asked hoarsely, gripping her backside.

"Yes… god yes…"

He quickly turned her around, and she grinned knowing what he had in mind. She bent down resting her hands on the seat and he entered her swiftly from behind.

"Oh, God I've wanted to do this for so long…" he barely said. He grabbed her hips and held on firmly as he continued to thrust into her. It was completely freeing being with her. He didn't have to be embarrassed about how he felt, or what he wanted to do… Taryn always seemed to be on the same page. He had no idea just how good this was going to feel… Taryn kept grinding her backside into him, and he just couldn't last. "Oh… Taryn! Oh… Christ…." Steve had to brace himself against the wall, he climaxed so hard. "Holy hell…" he gasped.

"Jesus, Steve… Yes!" Taryn cried out his name several times, bracing herself against the bench and wall. When she could, she straightened up, her legs feeling like gelatin. She took a few deep breaths, then turned to him. "You okay baby?"

He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. "Never better. My god that was amazing…"

She nodded and grinned. "Well we can do that any time you want."

They soaped up again and rinsed off, and Taryn went to turn off the shower. "Done?"

He grinned rather wickedly at her. "My dear, I'm nowhere near done with you."

"Mmmm I love the sound of that."

Steve opened the door, picked her up and carried her out to the bedroom, his lips not leaving hers. He lay her down on the bed, kissing her ardently, his hands roaming her body. She moaned into his kiss and pressed her bare skin against his and he savored every moment. His hands drifted across her body, teasing her breasts, cupping her bottom, his lips ravaging hers. He felt desperate for her and he had be inside her again. He raised himself up on his arms and slipped within her.

Taryn raised her hips to meet him, and she wrapped her long legs around his waist. Looking up at him she smiled at the love and lust in his eyes. His feelings for her was amazing; especially for someone who was so timid when they first met. Now they moved as one, feeling connected unlike she had to anyone in her past. Steve made love to her several more times that evening before he fell asleep with his arms around her and didn't wake until late morning.

The following day, they packed up their things and made their way back to the SHIELD compound. "Ah, back to reality," Taryn said as they pulled out onto the highway.

Steve took her hand and held it as they drove. "It was a pretty amazing holiday."

She smiled. "I never dreamed that you would propose on Christmas Eve. I will remember that always."

"I can't believe I pulled it off without you finding out. I was so nervous that you would sense something, or find the ring. I've had that ring hidden for months and I almost forgot where I had stashed it."

McKenna chuckled. "I'm glad you didn't lose it. And I'm glad you were thinking about us back in 1946… that you wanted to propose to me with this ring someday."

"Well, I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else."


	6. Chapter 6 - Obsession

_**Chapter 6**_

 _ **Obsession**_

Several weeks went by and everyone fell back into a routine of investigation, research and paperwork. The world, for the most part, was quiet, and so they focused on things closer to home. Director Coulson spent most of his time on the West coast continuing his search for Inhumans. That left Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff to continue their co-leadership and training at the new SHIELD. The current staff of Avengers resided at the facility as well, and this gave Taryn the opportunity to work with them as well as the new recruits. Since she specialized in under cover, she led much of the training for that.

McKenna finished up a class and packed up her laptop. She chatted with a recruit on the way down the hall who was telling her a humorous story about the first time they discovered they had abilities. Taryn was still laughing to herself as she arrived at her quarters. Stepping in, she found an envelope that had been slid under the door. She set her laptop bag on the couch and opened the letter. It was typed, and not signed. It simply stated "You are not good enough for him."

Puzzled, she tried to get a reading off the paper, but nothing… it was as if it wasn't really there. Very strange. And it had to be from someone in the compound as it wasn't addressed, so it hadn't been mailed. With security as tight as it was around the place, it was someone that worked there… She shivered slightly as that thought creeped her out. Who could have sent this? She knew she got looks from women and men around campus whenever the two were together… but who could be jealous enough to send something like this? She decided to show this to Steve when they caught up later. She tossed it on her dresser and went to change her clothes.

A little while later, Steve stopped by and she brought the letter out to him. "Do you think it's something we need to be concerned with right now?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly. "Maybe we just keep this between you and me for now, and keep an eye out for anything unusual. I don't want to alert the others if this is nothing but a little jealousy."

She nodded and placed the letter away in her desk. "Just in case we need it for something. I couldn't get any kind of reading off it though. It's like it doesn't exist."

He pulled her close into a strong hug. "Not to worry. We're safe here and whoever it is will slip up and we'll confront them when necessary."

She rested her head on his chest. "I hope you're right."

"What do you think you'd like for dinner? We can eat… take your mind off the letter…"

She sighed. "I just want to stay in tonight… I'm just creeped out right now…"

"Okay… well how about we get a pizza from the café, and I have some beer in my quarters. Why don't we head over there?"

She nodded and grabbed up a small bag of things. "I hope you don't mind, but I'd rather not come back here tonight."

He raised a brow. "Of course not. I want you to feel safe."

"Thanks. Just give me a moment…"

Minutes later she had a small tote bag filled with essentials – nightshirt, toothbrush, tooth paste and clothes for the morning. She followed him out, locking up her quarters with a little extra security and they made their way down to his lodgings. Dropping her things off, they then walked down to the café to order and they waited at a table. Taryn found herself scanning everyone in the room.

"Taryn. Taryn?" Steve called to her three times and until he waived a hand in her face, she didn't answer.

"Eh, I'm sorry. Old habit. Zone out, focus on thoughts…"

"You're picking peoples brains?"

"Ah, yeah, kinda."

"Is that … ethical?"

She shrugged. "Not really, but I'd like to find out who sent that letter."

Steve was about to reply when they called out their pizza was ready. He picked it up, and the two made their way back down to his quarters. The door opened and he let her in, then locked the door after him. "The beer is in the fridge if you want to grab some."

He set the pizza up on the coffee table and grabbed some plates and napkins while she came back with the beer and curled up on the couch. Steve popped open the beers with no effort and set them on the table. "Anything you want to watch?"

"Nothing in particular… you?"

"Well… You know about the list I keep…" He took out his small notebook with itemized lists of pop culture references with some crossed off.

Taryn smiled. "What are you thinking of getting into next?"

"I'm not sure… maybe this… or Star Trek?"

"Hmm... I'm a fan of Star Trek. It's kind of like the old serials … Like Buck Rogers? 1939. Did you ever see those?"

Steve looked at her in shock. "Yes, yes I did… I'm just surprised you even know what that is…"

Taryn laughed. "Yeah, well, closet geek, you might say."

Steve grinned. "Well then, Trek it is."

They started with the original series and as they sat enjoying their pizza, Taryn suddenly get a wicked headache. "You okay?" Steve asked, concerned.

"Yeah, just a headache all of a sudden…" Taryn suddenly felt a presence outside the door and she jumped up and flung the door open with her mind. There was no one there, but an envelope lying in the hallway. She dashed out the door, but lost the presence and saw no one in the hall. "Damn it!"

Steve jumped up and ran to the hall, then noticed the letter. He picked it up and ushered her back inside and he programmed the lock for extra security. They sat down on the couch and he opened the envelope. Taking out the paper, he read a single sentence, much like the one Taryn received. "You deserve so much better."

Taryn grabbed the paper and could feel something a little more than before. Much like the presence in the hall. "Okay, this is just not cool. I think someone is just a little too obsessed with you. And frankly it's a little bizarre."

He took her hand. "Taryn, it's just two notes. If it will make you feel better we'll run this by Natasha in the morning." He pulled her close and wrapped his arms around her. "Let's just watch some TV, ok?"

She sighed and snuggled into the crook of his arm. Taryn was still uncomfortable about the notes, but he quickly put her at ease.

The next few days saw no new mysterious notes. Taryn relaxed a little but still kept her guard up and her mental feelers out. It was so odd that she couldn't pick much up. Whoever was doing this was trained like she was. Trained to block and mask their person and their abilities. She was tempted to go through the data base of employees for talents like that, but she didn't have the clearance. She didn't want to bring it to Coulson's attention yet, as there had been no threats made. But she couldn't help but feel that was coming.

Steve didn't seem overly concerned. It was as if he got these kinds of notes every day. But Taryn knew this was unusual, especially since it was internal. Taryn was determined to get one step ahead of this person.

One afternoon, Steve and Taryn were coming back from a lunch out. They returned to Taryn's quarters and she smelled something horrible. "What on earth is that smell?"

She was about to enter her quarters when Steve stepped in front of her. He entered the room first and held his hand over his nose. Sitting on the coffee table was a box where the smell was coming from. A note was taped to the top of the box. "This will be you if you don't stop seeing him."

Rogers gingerly opened the box to find it full of dismembered birds. He had seen worse things in the war, but this sickened him. He turned around, grabbed Taryn's arm and removed her from the doorway.

"What? What the hell was in the box? Steve, answer me!"

He marched her down to a conference room and called an emergency meeting. He did not answer her until the other members of the team arrived. He explained to them the notes and the box and his concern for her safety. "It was filled with dismembered birds."

"Son of a bitch!" Taryn swore.

Sam said he would contact facilities about clean up and disposal. Natasha would investigate the room first then send other agents in while Steve moved Taryn into his quarters.

"Can we talk about this?" she asked.

He raised his hand to quiet her and directed the rest of the team on other instructions.

Taryn threw up her hands and walked out of the room. Rogers eventually came out and found her leaning against the wall.

"Don't wander off like that…"

"I am not a child, you know."

He sighed, his arms falling to his sides. "I know that. I'm sorry. I'm just concerned this is going to escalate quickly."

"I get it, Steve. But moving me in with you? That's adding fuel to the fire, don't you think?"

"Well, maybe it will help weed out whoever is doing this. They won't be able to get to you without going through me."

"Steve, we both have work to do. And before you say anything else, you know I love you, but I don't know if this is going to solve anything."

He raised a brow at her. "Woman, you are stubborn. Fine. Have it your way, but I can't let you back into your old quarters until it's investigated. I'll find you something else."

"Thank you. I'm sorry, but I just don't want to encourage this person…"

"I know, and you're right." He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice. "I'm just worried about my girl, that's all."

She smiled softly. "I know, and I appreciate that."

"Will you reconsider staying with me? I apologize for not asking you first…"

It was really difficult to resist those blue eyes… and the rest of him, for that matter. "Alright. If you think it best, I will."

He smiled, relieved. "Good. Let's see if we can get some of your things from your quarters."

By the time they arrived, Taryn's place was crawling with agents. The box had been removed and taken for analysis, and the smell had dissipated. They received permission to gather some clothing and necessities and they left as quickly as possible.

Taryn tossed her bag down on Steve's couch and sighed, exasperated. She flopped down next to it and put her head in her hands. "I hate having everyone rifle through my things…"

Rogers came up behind her and began to massage her neck and shoulders. "Just relax and we'll get through this."

She hung her head. "That is so much better. Can you just do that for the rest of the day?" she said half joking.

"Well, I probably could," he laughed, "but I thought maybe we could continue watching some Star Trek?" He was currently in the middle of the Next Generation and was enjoying it.

She chuckled. "Actually that sounds like a good idea."

He hopped over the back of the couch and landed next to her, grabbing the remote. She smiled at his enthusiasm.

The following day, after a brief team meeting, Taryn noticed Steve leaning in the doorway waiting for her.

"Your bodyguard is waiting," Tasha laughed.

Taryn chuckled. "Yeah. Should be comforting, but it's kind of annoying." She made her way to the door and looked up at Rogers, who looked very serious. "I hardly think I'm going to get jumped the hall with all these people around."

"Can't a guy walk his best girl to lunch?"

Taryn laughed. "Flashing those baby blues at me isn't going to help you."

He leaned in and whispered, "Would flashing anything else help?"

She raised a brow. "Why Captain, how risqué of you. But now that you mention it, it just might. But after lunch – I'm hungry."

He laughed and they went to eat. They chatted about the day and the mission and Taryn suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head.

Rogers saw her wince. "You okay?"

"No… sharp pain…." She glanced around the cavernous room and tried to pinpoint where this was coming from, as she knew it was external. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a figure dash around the corner. "There!"

Taryn jumped up and took off after them. Steve nearly knocked the table over running after her. She kept her sights on the running figure, and her mental walls up at full strength.

The figure dashed through the outside door and Taryn followed. She was pretty sure it was a woman from the build and movement. Once outside, Taryn dashed across the lawn after the woman, bringing up shields to knock away debris and rocks and branches getting thrown at her. Taryn suddenly saw walls of energy spring up and she came to a skidding halt. She saw them crackling and they would have hit her like a Taser had she gone colliding into them. She heard Steve come crashing through the compound door and Taryn put up her own wall to stop him.

"Why did you stop me?!"

"There are energy walls up that you can't see, but I can. I don't think she realized I can do that."

"She? You saw her?"

"Not her face, but the body and movement gave her away. Damn it! I wish I could have caught her. But I think I know her signature now. It will be harder for her to sneak up on us."

Steve took her arm and scanned the yard behind them, then led her back into the building. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Ugh, what a pain in the ass! I just wish I could have taken her out."

"I know. But no telling what those walls would have done had you not seen them."

"Yeah, at least there is that, and you're safe. Those walls could have knocked _you_ out for a week."

He smiled. It was nice to have someone worry about him for a change. "C'mon. Let's head back to my quarters and relax."

Taryn could hear water running in the bath and he came out into the bedroom. "Your bubble bath awaits."

She raised a brow and walked into the bathroom to find the tub filled with searing water and lots of suds. Taryn smiled and laughed.

Rogers frowned, visibly disappointed. "You don't like it?"

"No, it's not that. I love it. I just didn't expect it."

He smiled and left her alone. She disrobed and slipped into the silky, steaming bath. The bubbles felt luxurious and it was incredibly relaxing. She was a little disappointed that Steve didn't join her, but she reveled in the peace, quiet and solitude.

Steve settled in on the couch and picked up the novel he'd been reading. He looked up from his book to the window and the clouds drifting in the sky. He marveled at how his life had changed in a year. Tasha had tried numerous times to fix him up with one of the office girls, but when he least expected it, Taryn arrived at the complex. They clicked and had been through a great deal together already. It was a life that not everyone would be able to accept. Which is probably one of the reasons he held out for so long in finding someone. It was hard to maintain a relationship if you were constantly putting yourself in harm's way. The women who had no special abilities just didn't understand and couldn't cope. He heard the bathroom door open and saw Taryn exit wearing a tank top and lounge pants. She looked more relaxed and he was glad he could do something little for her. "Better?"

She smiled and sat next to him on the couch. "Much, thank you. That was a nice treat. Of course you could have joined me…" she winked.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I could have, but you deserved some alone time." He breathed in the scent of her, all bubble bath and floral notes. He loved the feel of her soft hair entangled in his fingers and the weight of her pressed against him. The two lay on the couch together with the TV on, alternately watching and kissing.

"Steve?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you ever think about what it would have been like had you never taken the serum?"

"Sometimes. But I try not to look back. My life would have been very different. I wouldn't have been in the service, never crashed that plane into the ice, never met you… I believe there are no coincidences…"

Taryn looked up into his arresting blue eyes. He was right. It all happened for a reason. And right now, he was her reason for staying with SHIELD. She stood, took his hand and they retired for the evening.


	7. Ch 7 - City of Angels, Shadows of Demons

_**Chapter 7**_

 _ **City of Angels, Shadows of Demons**_

Days later, Taryn and Steve rose early to go work out together at the gym. Malcolm sparred with them, trying to catch them off guard. He had an easier time with Rogers than McKenna, but that wasn't saying much.

"Good to see you two have been keeping in shape, although I don't see you in here much lately."

Taryn raised a brow keeping her naughty thoughts to herself about how they stayed in shape. "Well we've been doing a lot of wedding planning," she replied.

"Ah, yes that's right. Well, just don't forget that this place is always open."

Steve and Taryn gathered their things and made their way back to Steve's quarters. One new letter arrived while they were gone.

"Why are you still with her? I can offer you so much more. I will prove it to you."

Taryn shuddered. "This is just nuts. And Coulson has got me heading to Los Angeles to track down some more potential SHIELD agents. I don't want to leave you…"

"Taryn, I'll be fine. You just take care of yourself and we'll talk on the phone or the computer…"

She stared at the note. On Monday, Coulson had her going out to LA for at least three days, searching for a couple of SHIELD agents that had gone underground when the shit had hit the fan with HYDRA.

"You just make sure you at least keep Tasha in the loop if you get anything else."

"Yes, ma'am, I will!" She raised a brow, but chuckled at him.

Taryn finished packing her suitcase for her trip to LA. At least she wouldn't have to take a commercial flight. She was scheduled for an 8 a.m. flight on one of the SHIELD Quinjets.

This hunt that Coulson had Taryn being sent to LA to follow leads on people who had super powers and special abilities, much like her. She was to database and attempt to recruit any and all she came across within a week's time.

Taryn wasn't looking forward to leaving, but she knew Coulson was working to rebuild SHIELD and he intended on putting those gifted together on teams. Coulson again thought she was a good fit for this mission, especially with her ever expanding and evolving abilities. She zipped up her suitcase, packed her laptop in her back pack, and exited her bedroom.

Steve was standing in the doorway waiting for her. "Everything packed?"

"I think so." She sat on her couch with her head in her hands.

"You okay?" he asked, sitting next to her.

"Hmm? Oh I'm fine. Just anxious and a little apprehensive. I also know how I reacted when Coulson showed up at my door. I can only imagine just how some of these people may react. If I can even find them…"

"Well, I don't have to tell you to be careful. Does Coulson have another agent working with you?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I won't find out until I get to the compound out there. All he did was hand me the file. I don't have much to go on."

Rogers scowled. "I wish I could go with you."

"Me too. But I should be no longer than a week. I only have two targets to search out right now."

He took her suitcase and accompanied her down to the hanger. He loaded it and her back pack into the plane for her and took her in his arms.

"I will miss you, Taryn McKenna. But we'll talk."

She smiled. "You bet. I'll miss you too, Captain Rogers."

Steve took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply. "Be careful," he whispered as they parted.

"I will. And you do the same. Whoever is obsessing over you is still out there…"

"I know, and I will. Call me when you get settled."

She nodded and kissed him again and boarded the plane. Steve stepped back as the tail closed and the jet took off. Soon after, it entered stealth mode and vanished in the sky.

Rogers made rounds around the compound, checking up on his team, updating their assignments. He got back to his quarters and sat and picked up a book. It was quiet. No weird letters or odd boxes. Just silence. For so long he was used to quiet. He had kept to himself after he was brought back from the ice. He had friends, and Tasha wanted to set him up with someone in the worst way, but he still had felt isolated. Until Taryn came along, that is. She had changed his outlook in a huge way. She was funny and spontaneous, caring and sexy, strong and smart. He smiled to himself, having high hopes for their future.

Taryn sat nodding off as she hadn't slept well the night before. She kept having nightmares, but didn't want to concern Steve with them. She had been apprehensive for this mission, even though it was from Phil Coulson himself. She had her earbuds in and was glad she wasn't traveling commercial. She tried closing her eyes and getting some sleep, but it would prove to be restless and agitated.

About two hours into the flight she started to feel very uneasy. She opened her eyes and acted casual as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She could still see the pilot and co-pilot in the cockpit, but something was wrong. Taryn retrieved her phone and texted a quick note to both Steve and Natasha that something was up and to stand by. She wasn't confident it would go through.

Taryn reached out with her mind and poked around the co-pilot's mind. Shielded, but it felt like it was dissipating. Which explained why she could sense something now. Damn it! It appeared that someone did truly want her out of the way and she suspected it was the same one that wanted Steve for herself.

The pilot was shielded as well, but she could feel it was weakening on him also. The distance between the shielder and the plane was greatening. It had to be _her_ and right now, she had no way of warning Steve and the others. She texted them again with the information, hoping something would go through eventually.

Taryn breathed and readied herself for a fight. This woman had a _serious_ obsession with Steve to want Taryn permanently out of the way. She wondered what the plan for her was. Kill her and toss her out? Just toss her out? Either way it wouldn't be pretty. She wouldn't survive unless she took them out first. She stood and stretched.

"Hey boys, how much longer?"

The co-pilot turned around. She sensed he was nervous. "A few more hours, Agent McKenna. Please buckle yourself in as we're seeing some turbulence."

That would be a big 'Nope', she thought. Not gonna buckle in and become a sitting duck. Glancing quickly around the cabin, she noticed some cording hanging on the far wall. She sat down again and pretended to buckle the belt. Mentally, she pulled the cord off the wall and extended it. She moved it through the cabin and crept it into the cockpit like a silent serpent. Taryn coiled the cord around the co-pilot's ankle, made sure it was tight, and pulled.

Steve had fallen asleep on the couch, his book on his chest. Taryn was smiling at him in his dream. They were walking around the Met, holding hands. He pulled her into a kiss, their tongues dueling, arms groping. He parted from her and he jumped back. It was not her face. It was familiar, but it wasn't Taryn. He dropped her hands and stepped back.

"Who… who are you?"

The blonde smiled, running her hands along his chest. "You know me… and you know you want me…"

Suddenly in the dream he was naked in a bed. Lying next to him was the blonde woman. She was running her fingertips along his chest, down his abdomen to his… He woke suddenly. What the hell was that!?

He was drenched in sweat and his head was pounding. He went into the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. He looked at his reflection in the mirror with concern. Steve came out of the bathroom and found a note had been slid under the door. Oh, no… not again… His hand was shaking when he picked it up and opened it.

"She's out of the way. We can finally be together."

He dropped the paper like it was on fire and he ran his hands through his hair. He immediately called Tasha to come down. Steve was still standing in the middle of the room staring at the paper when Tasha came in.

"Steve? It looks like you just saw a ghost. What is going on?" He pointed to the paper and she picked it up and read it. "Do you think she was behind Taryn's mission, to send her away for a while?"

"No. Coulson gave her the mission personally."

Suddenly their phones buzzed simultaneously. They looked at each other then read the texts. Taryn's message had finally come through, and it sounded like she could be in trouble.

McKenna pulled the cord fiercely both with her mind and her hands. The co-pilot was lurched off the seat and dragged into the back of the plane. Taryn lashed out at his head and he blocked her kick. Jumping to his feet, he swung his fist at her and she ducked, throwing a punch as hard as she could at his abdomen. He doubled over and she brought her joined fists down between his shoulder blades, knocking the wind out of him.

Suddenly the plane tilted over to the right and she went tumbling into the co-pilot and the opposite seats. The man grappled for her and tried to put her in a head lock. She rolled as the plane rolled and flipped him over her shoulder. She grabbed the cord with her mind and wrapped it around his other leg and he struggled to unwind it. While he was momentarily incapacitated, she slowly made her way to the cockpit. The pilot jerked the plane to the left and she grabbed onto an overhead strap. She braced herself and as the plane leveled out she twisted around and kicked the pilot in the head.

Suddenly Taryn sensed the guy behind her rush her. She flipped herself upside down, hanging from the hand strap and he fell flat on his face. She dropped down hard on his back, and swiftly wrapped the rest of him up in the cord with her hands and her mind. Trussed up like a turkey on Thanksgiving, she kicked him out of the way and under the seats.

The pilot flipped on auto-pilot and dove at her from the cockpit. He grappled her to the floor of the cabin and she wrapped her hands around his neck. He loosened his grip and she rolled him over onto his back and punched him in the face. He pulled a knife from a sleeve scabbard and slashed it at her. She backed off of him and struck out with her boot. He held onto the knife and tried to stab her in the calf. Taryn rolled over him, landing behind his head. Grabbing his arm, she twisted it so the knife dropped. She heard his arm snap and he screamed out and while he was distracted, she punched him until he passed out.

"God damn it!" She looked at the man under the seats. "Who the hell are you working for?!"

He shook his head in a panic. "I … I don't know… I don't remember… "

Whoever this bitch was she was highly skilled at mind manipulation, and it was pissing her off. Suddenly she heard alarms coming from the cockpit. She ran up front and screaming at her was the fuel gauge.

"Low fuel?! What the hell!"

The trussed up pilot shouted from the cabin, apparently regaining his morals. "We were supposed to take you out, and bail. You were never going to reach LA."

"Well that's just super. None of us are going to reach LA now. You need to tell me how to fly this thing and get us down!"

Tasha told Steve to lock the door and stay put. She called Sam and asked him to head down and check on Steve and she called in the others to an emergency meeting. Wanda, Vision and Rhodey came running in and Tasha went over Taryn's texts and Steve's latest find.

"I'm trying to get Taryn's location, but it seems as though the plane is still cloaked. Sam is going to be keeping an eye on Steve and we need to find this woman ASAP." She used her clearance to bring up employee files and they began their search to find someone who was known to have mental manipulation capabilities.

Sam jogged down to Steve's quarters and knocked on the door. It slid open and he was startled to find a woman standing in the living room. "What the…." Suddenly a sharp pain exploded at the back of his head and he spiraled down to the floor. He could have sworn he saw Steve standing there holding something heavy in his hands before everything went black.

Taryn got on the radio and started sending out a call for any assistance. She had no idea where they even were. She asked the co-pilot and he stated they were somewhere over Kansas by now. "May day, may day. In danger of running out of fuel. May day." No response. Then she noticed the cloaking was still on, so she shut it off to be visible to radar.

She called again and finally got the tower at ICT in Wichita, Kansas. "State your position please."

"I don't know. I'm in a small jet and the pilot and co-pilot have been… incapacitated."

The co-pilot, now very cooperative as he didn't want to die, told her which gauges to view and what to give the tower. She relayed the information and the tower replied that they had her on radar. They guided her as to which direction to head and hold, and they were good for a few minutes until the fuel gauge screamed at her again.

"How far out am I?" she asked the tower.

"You're about 26 minutes out. How much fuel is remaining?"

The co-pilot told her where to look and she frowned. "I don't know… maybe twenty minutes?"

She could almost see the air traffic controller frown. "Slow the plane down if you can. You'll burn less fuel."

She nodded and pulled back on the throttle to slow the engine down a bit. The controller kept talking to her and at last he said. "Okay, you should start seeing the runway lights…"

Scanning the horizon, she finally spotted them to her left, so the controller told her to gently move the stick and level out. She took a deep breath and followed his instructions to a tee. She came in a little hot and on fumes, but managed to keep the nose up enough that they didn't crash and burn. The landing was extremely bumpy but she managed to bring the plane to a halt on the runway. Taryn peeled her hands off the stick and sat in the chair trying to breathe. Okay… get up… walk out and make a call… she told herself.

She stood and lowered the tail ramp and grabbed her bags and exited the plane. A number of personnel came running up to the jet and she flashed her SHIELD badge. She informed them of the pilots and that they needed to be kept under lock and key until someone from SHIELD retrieved them.

Grabbing her cell phone, her hands still shaking, she tried calling Steve. No answer. Not terribly unusual as he was still trying to get use to the modern technology. Next up she called Natasha.

"Taryn?! Are you alright?"

"Ahh, you got my texts then I take it?"

"I'm putting you on speaker. Where are you?"

"Wichita. I just managed to land the plane myself with the help of air traffic control."

"You landed a plane?!" Tasha knew that she didn't fly. "What happened to the pilots?"

"Well, they were under mind control and tried to kill me," she responded nonchalantly. "So if you could have some SHIELD agents come and get them for interrogation that would be great."

"You got it. I sent Sam down to Steve's to keep an eye on things. He got another letter that eluded to your situation as well."

"You need to find that bitch and lock her down. Speaking of Steve, I tried calling him before you and got no answer…"

Tasha looked up at the rest of the team in the room. "Wanda, head down to Steve's quarters and check it out. Taryn, work on getting back here. I'll let Coulson know that he'll need to send someone else to LA."

"Thanks Tasha."

Wanda dashed down the hall and her stomach sank when she saw Steve's door open. Stepping in she was shocked to find the prone form of Sam lying on the floor. She dropped down to him and gently helped him up. "Sam, what happened?"

He shook his head in pain. "I don't know. I came in to check on Steve and saw a woman standing in the living room. Next thing I know I'm knocked on the head and I swore it was Cap that hit me…"

Wanda helped him to his feet and took him to the med wing to get an ice pack. They then returned to the conference room where the others were.

"What the hell happened to you?" cursed Tasha. Sam explained what he had found upon reaching the Captain's quarters. "Do you think you could identify her? We've narrowed suspects down by abilities."

Sam nodded and was set to the task.


	8. Chapter 8 - Mind Games

_**Chapter 8**_

 _ **Mind Games**_

Taryn, with a bit of financial assistance from Tony, was able to secure a flight out of Wichita within the hour. By the time she was about to depart, SHIELD agents were swarming all over the plane that still sat on the runway.

McKenna was doing her best to control her anger and emotions. Whoever this woman was, she was highly trained. And it frustrated her that she knew something had been wrong, but couldn't pin point it.

Her phone buzzed and it was a text from Coulson. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, thanks. Not happy, but alive."

"Tasha briefed me on what was going on," typed Coulson. "I can send someone else to LA if you'd like."

"I would appreciate that, Phil. I need to get this woman into custody before she hurts someone else."

"Understood. Take care, and I'll talk to you soon. I know you'll find her."

She sat staring out the plane window with an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She knew Steve was not safe, but she had no update from Romanoff yet. Taryn wondered if she was keeping something from her.

Tasha and Sam continued to scan the staff data base. Suddenly, Sam shouted. "That's her! That's the one that was in Cap's quarters."

Tasha ran over to the display. Shauna Garvey, employee of SHEILD for the last 4 years. Blonde hair, blue eyes, 5'5" tall. Known abilities: mental manipulation, mental shielding and shield producing, etc. That had to be her. Romanoff pulled up her room assignment and took Wanda to investigate.

Taryn exited the plane and made her way through the airport, avoiding the TV crews that were appearing after hearing rumors of her being on this plane. She ducked behind a group of tourists, slipped by the reporters and headed for the car rentals. She picked up the keys, threw her bags in and tore out of the lot before the cameras could catch up to her.

On the highway, she couldn't help but think about this woman… She wasn't just obsessive, she was sinister. She had to have been planning this for some time and just stepped things up a notch when Taryn became an obstacle. She synched her phone to the car and called Tasha.

"Taryn, where are you?"

"Avoiding reporters and flying down the highway."

Tasha was standing in Shauna Garvey's room as Wanda searched her things. "Well, we figured out who the woman is. Shauna Garvey. She's been a SHIELD employee for four years. Nondescript, really. Nothing on her record but her mind manipulation abilities. We're in her quarters now and it looks like she's cleared out."

Damn it. "What about Steve, is he okay?"

Silence.

"Natasha, what about Steve?" she asked more forcefully.

"He's gone. And we found his phone in her quarters."

Taryn slammed her fist into the dash. "Damn it! I'm about 35 minutes out. Maybe sooner if I don't get pulled over."

Taryn squealed into the parking garage, grabbed her bags and dashed into the compound. She had a few odd looks cast her way as she ran through the halls, hair flying behind her, bruises on her face. She located Tasha and the others and dropped her bags.

Tasha jumped right into taking Taryn over to the profile of Shauna Garvey. "Sam said that's the woman he found in Steve's quarters before he was knocked out."

Taryn fumed, but now was not the time to be emotional. She needed a clear head. The leader of the Avengers was missing and as a team member it was her duty to find him. She fought not to take it personally.

"Right. She must have taken him off campus someplace. Do we have any leads?"

Sam nodded. "There's a previous address listed in her file." Sam printed the address and handed it to Tasha.

"Sam, you continue to see if you can find anything else on her. Wanda, you'll come with me to the address…"

"Tasha, what about me?" Taryn asked.

Romanoff pulled her to the side. "You're too close to this and it's too personal…"

"Tasha, please. Don't make me sit here and watch from the sidelines. I have to find him. It _is_ personal. She tried to kill me and she's kidnapped Steve. I will not accept that he went willingly."

Natasha sighed. Don't get involved with someone you work with, she kept trying to tell herself. But her thoughts always drifted to what if…

"Fine. I know I can't stop you anyway. Let's go. Sam, Rhodey, keep looking."

The three women ran to an SUV and sped off to the city where the address was located. Taryn slowed her breathing and closed her eyes as Tasha drove. She tried reaching out to Rogers, focusing on his bright blue eyes, his charming smile… She was suddenly met with a sharp pain in her head.

"Ow, damn it!"

Tasha threw her a look. "What, what's wrong?"

"I'm searching for Steve. And was met with a really strong mental wall and lots of pain. This Shauna must be shielding him. I'm just not sure where… I don't feel him in the city."

"Well it's our only lead right now." Romanoff would never understand powers like that. She couldn't comprehend how she was even trying to seek Steve out with just her mind.

The women entered the city and found themselves in a seedy part of town. They found the building and confidently strode in and went up to apartment 407. Taryn knocked on the door, but received no answer. Wanda glanced up and down the hall, but there was no signs of anyone on this floor right now.

"Cover me," said Natasha and she picked the lock.

Taryn drew her concealed pistol and they entered the room. She closed the door behind her and bumped into Natasha.

"Oh. My. God."

"What?" Taryn turned around and gasped. The entire four walls were covered in posters and photos of Steve Rogers in and out of the Captain America suit. The article about Taryn and Steve going to the cabin for the first time… photos of them from People magazine, and gossip rags. Taryn was crossed out in the photos, and a heart drawn around him. She couldn't breathe.

Wanda placed a hand on her arm, as Tasha went to search the apartment. "Are you going to be okay?"

Taryn nodded silently. "I knew it was bad but this is just chilling…."

"Taryn," Romanoff called from the apartment bedroom.

She and Wanda went into the room and Tasha turned around with something in her hand. She extended her hand and it was the watch that McKenna had given Rogers on his last birthday. Taryn took it from her and she could feel a tear well up. She knew he wouldn't just leave this anywhere. She brushed the tear away and put the watch in her pocket. Clearing her throat, she turned away from them. "So did you find any clues as to where they could be?"

"There is a letter here… it looks like it's from an ex. There's a return address on the envelope. Maybe we should check that out."

"It's better than nothing," Taryn replied.

Steve could hear noise around him and he felt like he was moving. He couldn't think clearly, like someone was in his head. Something wasn't right… He opened his eyes ever so slightly and looked around without moving much. Steve could tell he was in a large vehicle. Someone was driving, but he didn't know who. He knew someone was sitting next to him, but it wasn't Taryn – Argh – he cried out – shooting pain in his temples.

The woman beside him turned and laid a hand on his arm. The pain instantly dissipated. "There, there," she said calmly. "It's okay, love, just rest."

And he fell back into a deep sleep. The deeper he slept, the less pain he felt. He didn't know where he was or why, but he couldn't help but think of Taryn. It seemed like the pain was less when he thought of her as he slept. He could see her standing in the shadows. He reached for her and she called his name. Then she was gone and he couldn't remember anything.

Taryn's eyes flew open and she gasped, startling the two women. "Steve…"

"What about him? Did you find him?"

"No, but I saw him. They're in a vehicle, driving. I couldn't tell where…"

"You _saw_ him? How is that possible?" asked Wanda.

"Well, yes, in a dream… He must have been sleeping. It seems like if he is in a deep sleep, I can get to him. If he's awake, it will cause the both of us pain."

Taryn stared out the window. She was angry, tired and bruised. Most of all she just wanted to find him safe.

When Rogers woke again, he found himself in a dark bedroom. Someone had removed his clothing and put a comforter over him. He sat up and was very confused. Why was he here? Who had disrobed him? None of this made any sense.

"Oh, you're awake," said a voice from the doorway.

He nearly jumped out of his skin. The blonde woman stepped into the room and turned on the light. He squinted until his eyes adjusted. Where did he know her from?

"I brought you some tea and toast." She stepped closer and set the tray on his lap.

Rogers strained to remember how he knew this woman. Something… someone was missing… "Ah... thank you…"

She smiled sweetly. "You're welcome, dear. Your clothes are in the wash and should be done soon. I'll bring them up when they're dry."

He nodded and she left the room. This was not right. He should be somewhere else…with someone else… pain… he just couldn't remember. Damn it! He would have remembered if this woman was something special to him…

Steve wrapped the quilt around him and made his way to the window. They were in what looked like the suburbs or a development. This was frustrating. He knew his name and who he was. He knew they left the SHIELD facility but he didn't know why.

The woman returned and she gave him his clothing all neatly folded. She hesitated to leave, but allowed him to change in private. If this was someone he really knew, someone he was involved with, then shouldn't he feel more comfortable? He knew he had someone special in his life, but he couldn't remember her name. He felt a flicker of pain in his head. Maybe he was getting close to remembering something.

Rogers heard the woman's voice from down the stairs. "I have more breakfast if you're hungry, honey."

Honey? Why so familiar? He knew he didn't know her like that… He dressed and made his way down stairs. Looking around he seemed to be alone again. He walked around the first floor. Where was he? This place didn't seem familiar at all. His head was cloudy and didn't understand why. Where was here? He couldn't remember her name…. Someone special to him… someone he… loved? Taryn! Memories flooded back – her smile, her kiss, her touch… He needed to get to a phone. He checked every room in the house but found nothing. No phone, no radio, no TV…

He went to the front door and suddenly pain shot through his skull. A woman was there then, petting his hair like he was a puppy. "There, there," she said. "Just close your eyes and the pain will go away."

And as she stroked his temple, the pain subsided and he forgot what he had wanted to do outside. "Come sit and have some tea."

"Okay," he replied, dazed.

The women returned to the facility and followed up with Sam and Rhodey. Neither of them had any leads, so Tasha handed them the letter they had found and asked them to see if they could trace the Erik Walters on the return address. Taryn felt exhausted and left the room, needing air.

Natasha found Taryn pacing in a courtyard. "We'll find him."

Taryn stopped and sighed heavily. "I know. I just wish I could see where he is. I can feel him, but it comes and goes. Like she can't completely control him. I know she's causing him pain because of it."

"How can you feel him?"

"It's because we have a… a physical connection. I can sense him more than I could sense any of you, unless I really force myself to focus very hard."

"Ahh…" more information than she wanted. "What if we isolate you? See if you can focus on him without any distractions?"

Taryn nodded. "It may work. But I think I'll be more comfortable in my quarters."

It was night time. That much he could tell. The room he was in was dark and had a partially covered window and he could see the sunset. The fuzziness in his head was dissipating but his head hurt. Maybe if he could sleep…

Taryn closed her eyes and focused her breathing. She pictured his face in her mind. She could smell his aftershave and feel his arms around her. She fell into a deep state of relaxed consciousness and set her mind out to find him.

Rogers fell into an uncomfortable sleep. He tossed and turned with a dull ache in his head. "Steve?"

He was still sleeping, wasn't he? "Hello?"

"Steve, its Taryn." Pain, but he pushed it back. Was it really her voice that he heard? "Steve where are you?"

"I don't know," he thought. His sleep came deeper and he imagined himself in a white room.

Natasha watched Taryn on the monitor. Her breathing was deep and slow. She was now well into a focused state. Taryn felt herself drifting towards Steve. She found herself in a white room. He stepped from the blinding light toward her. "Taryn?" and he grabbed his head from the pain.

She stepped closer to him and touched his arm gently. "Shhh… Can you tell me where you are?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "No. In a house… in a neighborhood... I don't know what I'm doing here… I don't know who she is…"

"The woman who is doing this to you? Her name is Shauna." Pain in Taryn's head, but pushed it away. "She's keeping you there. Manipulating your mind."

"But why?"

"Because she is obsessed with you. Her apartment in the city was filled with photos of you."

"I'm not in the city. Suburbs maybe…"

Pain again. Taryn sensed something else on the perimeter of her mind. She could see a figure stepping into the room. The woman strode over to Steve and wrapped her arms around him, running her hand over his chest. "So you're still alive? That's a pity. But you need to go now," she said, waving her hand in an attempt to expel her. But Taryn stood firm.

"I'm not going anywhere, until you tell me where you are, Shauna."

The woman raised a brow. "So you know who I am? I'm surprised you figured it out. I didn't think you were that smart."

"You can't talk to her that way," Steve said, then doubled over in pain.

"Oh sweetie," she said to him, stroking his hair. " _You_ can't talk like that to _me_. You're with me now. You need to forget about her."

Taryn stepped forward in the dream and pointed to Shauna. "I will find you, and you will pay for this. He is stronger than you think, and so am I." Taryn blasted her with so much energy that she staggered back in shock. "You do not know who you're messing with, sister." And she blew her out of the vision. Taryn was pissed, and she was going to find Rogers if it was the last thing she did.

She ran to his image and placed her hands on his forehead. She could see him riding in the vehicle on the highway, on small town streets and arriving at the house. She felt herself slipping away from him and she whispered. "Never forget that I love you."

Steve awoke in a cold sweat. His clothes and sheets were drenched. He sat up and removed his shirt. He didn't imagine it. He knew he saw Taryn in his dreams, and she spoke to him. Hmm... He was thinking about her and the pain had lessened. Perhaps Taryn did something…

Taryn's eyes fluttered open and tears were flowing from her eyes. But she was happy. She had a vague idea of where they were. She needed to tell the others… She went to stand and the room spun. Too much energy expended. "Tasha, can you come in here?"

Moments later, she entered her quarters. "Did you find something?"

Taryn relayed the vision to Tasha who relayed it to Sam and Rhodey. "I'll give them this, then we can go check out the letter lead in the morning. Will you be okay tonight?"

Taryn nodded. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning."

Tasha, not a hugger, patted Taryn's arm. "We're getting closer. We'll get him back. You try and get some rest."

Taryn wasn't going to argue with her. She was exhausted and knew that she had another battle before her. She would do anything to get him back.

Steve sat with his head in his hands on the edge of the bed. He felt so helpless that he couldn't leave on his own accord. But Taryn had done something to lessen Shauna's control over him; he could feel it. He was not going to let on that the pain had lessened and his mind was mostly his again. He could feel Taryn with him even more so than before and it was comforting. If he ever had any doubts of spending the rest of his life with her, it was gone. He heard footsteps behind him and he turned. Shauna stood in the doorway, clearly visibly shaken.

"Steve, darling…. How did you sleep?" She was pushing to see if he remembered his dream.

He shrugged. "Fine, why?"

She relaxed. "Oh, no reason. Are you hungry for breakfast?"

"I'll be down shortly."

"Okay," she replied, not suspecting anything.

Taryn woke the next morning feeling refreshed and ready to track Shauna down. She showered and dressed and went to find the others. Rhodey provided the directions to Erik Walters' home and Taryn and Tasha headed out. They hoped he could provide them with information as to where Shauna had taken Steve.

Natasha called Erik ahead of time and he was willing to meet with them. Taryn drove to his home and she parked the vehicle on the street in front of the house.

Tasha rang the bell and a petite brunette answered the door. Her eyes got wide. "Honey… I think it's for you…"

A tall dark haired handsome man approached the door.

"Erik Walters?" Tasha inquired.

"Yes, you must be Agent Romanoff?"

She nodded. "And this is Agent McKenna."

"Please come in."

The petite woman looked a little intimidated by these agents in her home. Taryn smiled softly. "Thank you for taking the time to see us."

He allowed them in and showed them into the dining room. "Please, have a seat. Can I get you anything?"

They replied no, and Taryn let Natasha take the lead on this, as she was working to get readings on the both of them.

"So what can I do for you ladies?"

Tasha produced a photo of Shauna. "Do you know this woman?"

"Psht – Crazy. Yeah, I knew her. We dated, pretty serious, for a while. I mean, I don't have anything against people with abilities. I have the utmost respect for those who use their talents for doing the right thing. But Shauna? I knew her in college and she was pretty tame then. Her mother was the same and trained her how to use her powers, I think."

"When did she start exhibiting… issues?"

He stopped to think. "It must have been around the same time she started working for SHIELD. She had been so excited, but couldn't figure out why she wasn't treated as special. I think she thought she was going to be part of some elite team. That was before the Avengers really came on the scene."

Taryn continued to scan Walters. Not nervous. Didn't seem to be lying. His girlfriend, on the other hand, was very agitated. Taryn couldn't tell if it was because they were there, or if she had something to hide, or was just annoyed he was talking about Shauna.

"Go on," Tasha urged.

"Well, not much else to say. Her work became more important than me. She would come home late, and talking about Captain Rogers this and Steve that. She made it sound like they were having a fling or something. So we broke up."

Taryn raised a brow. "They weren't involved. She was delusional," she said calmly.

Erik ran a hand through his hair. "Oh that explains a lot. She was overly obsessed with him. I wondered if some day it would get her in trouble."

Natasha looked at him. "It _has_ gotten her in trouble. We believe she's kidnapped him."

"Ah, Christ…"

Taryn cleared her throat. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

"Look, I got no idea…"

"Any friends, relatives?"

"No, I… Wait... there is a house she inherited from her mother. Lemmie see if I can find the address. We visited it once or twice…" He rifled through some drawers in a desk and then ran upstairs. Taryn kept a mental eye on both so neither bolted for any reason.

Walters came back momentarily with and address book. "Yeah, here it is…" Inside was a loose sheet of paper with an address and phone number. Bridgette Garvey. The location was not far from the SHIELD facility.

"Thank you Erik," said Tasha. If she tries to contact you or if you think of anything else, please call." She scribbled down a cell number.

"God I hope she never contacts me… But I'll let you know if anything comes up."

The women rose from the table and shook his hand. "Thank you, Erik," said Taryn with sincerity.

The two left Walters' home and got into the SUV. "Plan?" Taryn asked.

"We go get Sam and head up to the location. There's no telling she's there, but we'd best have back up."

"Agreed. I'll see if I can sense him out on the way there. Maybe I can get to him again."

Address in hand, they raced back to SHIELD and briefed everyone about Shauna and the address.

Rogers woke that morning with sun streaming into the room. He yawned, stretched and suddenly realized there was someone next to him. He was not clothed, and he grabbed the comforter and scrambled out of the bed. The woman, Shauna, woke wearing his tee shirt.

Oh, God… no… he thought. Taryn… the pain was milder than before. He sat on the bed trying to take it all in. She ran her hand along his bare shoulder. "Good morning, Love."

His skin crawled and he stood and glared at her. "Did we…"

She frowned. "Sadly, no. You were in too much pain and I didn't feel right about it."

Oh good, she has morals, he thought cynically. He had to get out of this house and away from her. "Then what are you doing in the bed?"

"Well, I just couldn't resist being next to you."

"You need to let me leave. This isn't right. I have someone waiting for me…"

"No! You belong to me now. You _will_ want to stay…"

"Shauna, please. People are looking for me, I know it. You need help. Let me help you…"

"No, I don't need help, I need you!" She lashed out with a wave of pain. "You need to forget about that woman and forget about everything else!"

Steve fought the pain, holding onto Taryn's image until he blacked out. He collapsed on the floor in a heap. His last thought was that he prayed Taryn would find him. He just couldn't shake Shauna's pain ministrations. He thought he was stronger than that…

Taryn cried out and scared the hell out of Tasha as she was pulling into the garage. "What the hell was that?!"

"Sorry. Lots of pain associated with Steve. I think he pissed her off."

"Taryn, I'm sorry you have to go through this."

She smiled softly. "Thanks. I'm sorry _he_ has to go through this. We need to find him. She is breaking him down, I can feel it. I fear for his sanity."

Rogers found himself lying on the bed, clothed this time. This was getting old and he was tired of blacking out and not remembering what happened. Taryn had been teaching him how to meditate, so he thought he would try that again to control the pain.

He sat on the edge of the bed, closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. Focusing on a point behind his eyelids, he listened to himself inhale and exhale. He started to feel better and knew that whatever Taryn had done in his dream had weakened Shauna's hold on him. He felt that she may have burned herself out slightly on the last anger episode.

He continued to breathe slowly and deeply. Steve wasn't asleep but he could somehow sense Taryn looking for him. He dared not call out, fearing he would alert Shauna.

"Steve?" Taryn's voice?

"I'm here," he thought.

"Do you have any idea where you are?"

"I'm sorry I don't… "

"It's okay. We'll find you. I'm looking for you and I will find you. Don't give up."

"I won't."

In the conference room, they were working on finding the location of Shauna's mother's home. "We're ready to roll when you are," stated Sam.

Taryn nodded. 'Thank you both so much for this. I know you've all known him longer than I have, so I know you need him back for the Avengers, but…"

Natasha smiled and touched her arm. "We know you need him too. We've got your back, Taryn."

Tasha drove as Sam worked the GPS and positioning equipment and Taryn focused on Rogers. She closed her eyes and reached out, telling him they weren't giving up. As Sam drove them closer, the feeling got stronger. Taryn told Romanoff to pull off the road near a park close to the address. They would wait until dark to approach the house.

Steve managed to deal with the day of Shauna doting on him, trying to get him to fall for her. She insisted that no one else loved him as much as she did and that he would be cared for the rest of his life. She fed him and even baked him a cake. He choked it down and was forced to sit and watch some romantic movie with her.

"Just sit tight or I'll have to inflict pain again, sweetie." Shauna got up to make popcorn and he weighed his options. He stood and quietly made his way to the door again. He reached for the knob and excruciating pain bore through his skull. Shauna came running. "Damn it! I told you that you couldn't leave. You need to listen to me." She placed her hand on his head and completely drained his will. She instructed him to go sit in a dining room chair and she tied him down in front of the TV.

"Now see what you made me do? You will enjoy this and you will not want to leave again!"

He tried desperately to fight but his strength was gone… he hung his head and prayed that Taryn would find him.

Darkness encompassed the block and the three Avengers stepped from the SUV and made their way down the street. They got into visual range of the house and she could feel him strongly. Taryn could sense a type of field around the property. One that once they stepped across the boundary, would set off alarms for Shauna.

Taryn took a deep breath and asked Sam and Tasha to keep an eye on her. She sat down in the grass behind another house and reached out to find Steve's mind. She touched it and the walls were back up in full force. Taking a deep breath she probed about the walls and found a tiny spot that was weak. She drilled in and there he was. "Steve. Stay quiet. I know she has walls up and defenses around the house. But we're here to get you out and put her away. I'm going to try and chip this away before she notices, but I need you to act like we're not here."

She felt him acknowledge and she broke away the walls enough for him to be him again, but for Shauna to think that he was still under. Then she went to work on the defenses around the house. Closing her eyes again, she could see the web of thought and anger that encapsulated the house, but again, she found a weak spot. She managed to chip enough away for one person to slip through and that would be her.

She opened her eyes again and stood. "Okay. I'm going in. She's strong but I'm stronger."

Romanoff raised her brow and was impressed at her determination and she could actually feel the power radiating off of Taryn.

Taryn found the spot she weakened and slipped in and made her way for the back door. She moved her hand over the door sensing it was not shielded. She picked the lock and crept into the house. It was dark, but she could see the TV on in the living room. There was a form in a dining chair and she knew that was Steve. She slowed her breathing and reached out… and suddenly stood and blocked a cast iron pot from coming down on her head. She grabbed it with her mind and threw it across the kitchen.

"Get out of my house, you bitch!" Shauna screamed at her.

"Not on your life. You're going down and he is coming home with me."

Taryn felt the energy surge in her and she raised her hands in front of her. She pushed a wave of energy at Shauna and she went flying into the living room. The control was broken on Steve momentarily and he managed to break the bindings from the chair. He staggered back and Shauna flung energy at him and he landed at the base of the wall. "No! You will never leave me!"

Distracted, Taryn grabbed Shauna about the throat in a head lock and pressed her down to the floor. "Steve, can you get up?"

He held his head from excruciating pain and was incapacitated.

Taryn hauled Shauna to her feet. "Release him!"

"Never!" and she pushed Taryn back into the stone fireplace. Sparks of energy could be seen flying from both women's fingertips at this point. Taryn had never felt such power and was both in awe and terrified of it. She needed to get Steve out of here now, and the others needed to take Shauna far away. Shauna lunged at Taryn, but she caught her in mid leap. She held her there and approached her.

Steve was suddenly free of pain. He watched as Taryn held Shauna in midair and approached her. Taryn got in Shauna's face as she struggled in the field Taryn had generated around her. "You are finished here. You will never do this to anyone again."

Shauna reached out with her arms trying to get her hands around Taryn's throat. Taryn glared at her. "Oh, no you don't. It's over, bitch."

Taryn looked at Steve sitting against the wall, eyes closed, but pain free and knew he would be OK. Sam came running in and she let Shauna drop and Sam immediately sedated Shauna. Taryn dropped to her knees exhausted. She looked at Shauna, sleeping peacefully under the sedative, and she thought, my god that could have been me. If SHIELD didn't take me in, that could have been me….

Natasha helped Steve up and walked him toward Taryn. She was so happy to see him alive and safe. Tasha helped him to Taryn and they collapsed to the floor in each other's arms. "Thank you," he whispered. "God I'm so grateful…"

Tears sprang to her eyes and she held him close as Sam and Natasha removed Shauna and handed her off to more SHIELD agents that had arrived. They stayed outside giving them some time alone.

"Are you okay?" Taryn asked.

"I will be, thanks to you… You didn't give up…"

She smiled softly. "I couldn't. You saved me. It was my turn to save you. I love you, remember?"

He nodded. "That is what kept me sane. The pain every time I thought of you was nearly unbearable… but that was the only thing that did keep me going. When I could remember you, it freed me, if only for a moment."

She helped him stand. He was exhausted and so was she, but for Taryn it had all been worth it. They found him and Shauna was in custody. She hoped that the woman never saw the light of day again…

"C'mon, let's get you home."


	9. Chapter 9 - To Be Contented Again

_**Chapter 9**_

 _ **To Be Contented Again**_

Taryn asked Natasha to drive and Sam sat in the passenger seat. Taryn wrapped her arms around Steve and the two fell asleep on the drive back. As they slept Taryn extended a protective cocoon of energy around them, hoping that would help him heal. By the time they arrived back at the compound, she was feeling refreshed and was hoping he was feeling a bit better too.

She gently woke him and helped him back to his quarters as the others took care of tying off the reports and briefing the other agents. Taryn helped him into the bed room. "Do you want to shower?"

He nodded and removed his tee shirt and she noticed where the rope had marked him as he escaped from the bindings. "I should clean those up after you shower. You okay on your own in there?"

Steve smiled. "I should be. I'll call if I need help."

"I'll be out here."

He went and showered and managed to get a pair of cotton PJ pants on, and he came out into the bedroom. Taryn retrieved some medicinal cream to gently address the rope burns on his chest and upper arms. "There, that should help."

He smiled and took the tube and set it on the dresser. He took her hands in his and kissed them. "I can't thank you enough. I've never felt so helpless before…"

She smiled. "You came for me when I was taken... I wasn't going to stop until I did find you."

"But how did you… I saw you in my dream… was that really you?"

Taryn nodded. "You were asleep and her hold on you was relaxed. I explained to Natasha that because you and I have a physical connection as well as an emotional one, that helped me hone in on your mind."

"You're amazing."

She chuckled. "Well I don't know about that, but I was finally able to use my abilities to a greater potential. You'll just need to let me know if you feel any residual effects from her, okay?"

"Deal."

"Good. Well, I will let you get some rest and…"

"Taryn, will you stay with me tonight? I… I don't really want to be alone..."

She agreed and he told her to grab one of his tee shirts from the drawer if she wanted. She did so and changed, and they climbed under the sheets. She pulled him close and he lay his head on her chest and she held him all night. Finally pleasant dreams came to them both, and they felt safe for the first time in a week.

Taryn woke to the sound of the shower running. She lay there for a moment, still mentally exhausted from the last few days. She was sure he felt even worse. She rose and knocked on the bathroom door. Opening it, she found him under the showerhead, leaning on his hands against the wall.

"You okay?" she asked softly, sitting on the edge of the sink.

"Yeah… no… I don't know. I feel like I can't get clean. " He shut off the shower and she handed him a towel. He dried off in the shower and wrapped the towel around his waist. He sat down on the toilet seat opposite her. They sat in silence for some time.

"I'll let you finish up in here and whenever you want to talk, I'm here, okay?" Taryn went to leave and he grabbed her hand.

"Don't go. I… that woman… I was terrified. I've never had someone in my head like that…"

She stepped closer to him, gently placing an arm on his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I should have been able to take care of her before she took you. I should have been able to catch her before…"

"No, this isn't your fault, Taryn. It's hers. She was… she needed help. She was truly insane."

Taryn crouched down in front of him, taking his hands in hers. "I know she hurt you. I felt the pain, at least some of it. But I don't know what else she did to you. I don't want to force you to talk about it though…"

"You're not. It's comforting to have someone to talk to."

She looked up at him. "Can I get you some clothes?"

He nodded and she gently kissed his forehead and left the room. She returned momentarily with clothing and then left him some privacy.

Taryn threw on some leggings and a tee and put her hair up in a ponytail. She sat cross legged on the bed as he emerged from the bathroom. "Feel a bit better?"

He nodded, still quiet.

"Can I make you some breakfast?" He nodded again.

McKenna went out into the kitchen and threw together some omelets with what he had in the fridge and they sat at the table to silently eat. The silence was almost maddening for Taryn, but she wasn't going to push it. He needed to communicate in his own time, and she didn't want to upset him by drilling him for information.

Steve finished breakfast, took his plate to the sink, and then went to sit on the couch. Taryn took care of the dishes and moved to sit in a chair next to the couch. She curled up in the chair and waited.

Rogers sat staring at his hands. He knew he needed to talk about this, but he had no idea what to say. There were things he just couldn't remember. What had Shauna done to him during those times? It was as if he felt like he cheated on Taryn… he knew he was being hard on himself. He prided himself on being a gentleman. He never took advantage of a situation. Yet this woman had done God knows what to him when he was blacked out…

"She kept saying she loved me. And that she wanted me to love her. I kept telling her that I had someone waiting for me… Taryn, I woke up once and she was in bed with me! She said we didn't do anything, that she just wanted to be near me, but what about the other times she made me black out?! It scares the hell out of me to think she may have… that we could have… and I don't remember!" He dropped his face into his hands.

She stood and made her way to the couch, gently sitting beside him. "Well, SHIELD has devices that can probe your head… but I don't think you want that. If you trust me, I can see what I can find…"

He looked up at her, is blue eyes grayed with sadness and fear. "I trust you with my life, Taryn. If you think you can figure out what she did, then by all means, please, go ahead."

Taryn asked him to lie down with his head in her lap. She had him relax as much as possible, and she gently laid her hand on his forehead. Taking a deep breath, she gently eased her way into his mind. She could sense him twitch a bit so she gently stroked his forehead to ease him. Moving slowly back to three days ago, she let his memories wash over them. As she encountered gaps, she gently pushed through and saw Shauna doting over him, touching his chest, his hair. She had tried kissing him many times, but he always resisted her, pushed her away. It caused him much pain, but she saw that he wouldn't give in to her. Shauna would get so angry with him that she caused him to black out. But she couldn't do much with him while he was out, fortunately. She seemed to like him lively and aware, as opposed to inert.

Taryn broke the connection smoothly and he took a moment before he sat up. He could see what Taryn had seen and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you for doing that. I feel better knowing that she didn't do anything that I couldn't remember."

She smiled softly at him. "You're welcome." Taryn touched the side of his face. He looked very tired and much worn. Hopefully he would be allowed a few days to recover before having to go into the fray again. "I am sorry you had to go through that. No one should have to endure something like that." She wanted to kiss him. To take him into her arms and make love to him. But she didn't want to rush things. He needed to heal, and emotional wounds were sometimes deeper than physical ones.

Steve turned on the TV and watched the news. There was a little blurb about the SHIELD jet that had landed with no fuel in Wichita and he looked at her quizzically.

Taryn shrugged. "Ah yeah… Obviously I never made it to LA. Shauna was controlling the pilots and they tried to kill me and toss me out of the plane. Oh and it was only filled with half the fuel. The pilots were supposed to bail after they took care of me. Sorry, I didn't want to bother you with that…"

"Oh my God. She was crazier than I thought." He suddenly pulled her close and crushed her in a hug. "I had no idea you had to deal with that."

She patted his arm. "It's okay. I survived. Shocked the hell out of Tasha that I landed the plane. But I don't care to fly for a while…"

He chuckled for the first time that day and he kissed her forehead. "I owe you so much…"

"No you don't. I'm not keeping score here. It's what we do. We take care of each other."

A soft knock on the door parted them. Taryn went to get the door. She smiled when she saw Tasha and Sam. Letting them in she took a seat in another chair. Steve stood and shook Sam's hand.

"Look, Sam, I am so sorry for what I did…"

Sam cut him off with a raised hand. "Dude, it hurt like hell, but it wasn't you that did it. You can only blame crazy."

Steve smiled softly. "Thanks, man."

"Think nothing of it. I'm just glad to see you back in one piece. We were worried for you."

"I was worried for me. But thanks for not giving up."

Sam smiled and pointed to Taryn. "Thank that little lady right there. She wouldn't give up."

Taryn laughed and Steve smiled at her. "Yeah, I know… she's stubborn."

Tasha hugged Steve. "Well we're glad your back and we'll try to leave you alone for a few days to recoup. Let us know if you need anything, okay?"

Steve nodded. "Will do."

They left Steve and Taryn alone in silence. Taryn wasn't sure what to do, or say, so she let him take the lead. If he wanted to talk, he would. She just hoped he wouldn't distance herself from him.

"Taryn?" he finally spoke.

"Hmm?"

"Would you like to go for a walk outside? I could use some fresh air."

"Sure." She put her sneakers on and he waited for her by the doorway. Taking her hand, he led her outside and they began a stroll around the grounds. It was a warm clear day, for a February, and a soft breeze tossed Taryn's hair. She breathed the fresh scent in deeply.

Steve held her hand tightly as they leisurely ambled along the walking trail they had around the facility. His head felt so much clearer. No headache, no stabbing pain, no forgetfulness. He wasn't a vengeful person, but he hoped they locked Shauna away for a long time and threw away the key. He just wanted his life back to normal… well whatever normal was for an Avenger… He felt better the more he was outside. It really helped him clear his head. Hopefully the next few days he'd be able to relax and just _be_.

Taryn walked silently by Rogers' side. He nearly crushed her hand, he held on so tight, but she wasn't going to complain. It was good to have him back. She still worried for him, but a little less so since he had been found. They came to a stone bench just off the path and Steve made his way to that. They sat, and she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of the birds and the air rustling through the trees. It was still winter, but they had very little snow. The grass was a little more brown than green and she could almost sense Spring around the corner.

Steve relaxed a little and put his arm around her. "It's nice out here today." He looked at her breathing in the air, her eyes closed. Thank God he had never forgotten that face. If he had, who knows where he might be right now.

"It's beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky and the sun feels so good," she replied with her eyes still closed. She suddenly felt his warm soft lips on hers and she opened her eyes. His face was inches from hers. "Hi," she said with a smile.

"Hi," he replied. He brushed a stray lock of hair from her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm so quiet. It may take me a little while to get back into the swing of things…"

Taryn rested her hand on his. "I know, I understand. And we have all the time in the world. There is no rush. You're health, mental or otherwise, means a whole lot more to me than rolling in the sheets all the time." She winked at him.

He laughed. She could always make him laugh. "Thank you. Although I do like 'rolling in the sheets', as you say, with you." He kissed her temple and they continued to sit on the bench with his arm around her.

Several weeks had passed and Taryn was pleased that Steve was feeling much better. He was much more like himself. He was even back taking care of assignments for the others and himself. Taryn had gone back to her own quarters after Rogers' second night home. She had wanted him to have his own space again.

Steve busied himself around his quarters and as he just sat down, a knock came to the door. Answering it he was pleasantly surprised to find Director Coulson.

"Phil!" They shook hands and Steve invited him in.

"Captain. I was in the office and thought I'd check on things. How are you feeling?"

Steve offered Coulson a chair. "I'm doing well, thanks. I'm feeling pretty good. Back into the swing of things at work, so to speak. Doesn't seem to be any residual effects and I've been given a clean bill of mental and physical heath."

Phil nodded. "Good to hear it. Everyone has been pulling for you."

They chatted for a little while and then Phil stood to leave. "Oh, and for the record, we'll keep Taryn in town for a while. I have a feeling you'd like her to remain close."

Steve flushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… about that…"

Phil raised his hands, "Relax. I've known about your engagement for a while now… Like I told Taryn, it's none of my business as long as it doesn't affect my business."

They two shook hands. "Thanks, Phil. I appreciate that."

"You're welcome. Well, until the next world shattering crisis?"

Steve chuckled. "Let's hope not."

A little while later, he decided to see if Taryn was in her quarters. They had backed off on things ever since he had been rescued. She had been a saint in letting him take his time and feel like he had his mind back before they got really hot and heavy again. Steve knocked on her door and she called 'come in'. He was a bit taken aback to see Sam in her living room.

"Hey… Sam…"

"Hey, Cap," he smiled. "Just stopped by to see how Taryn was doing. Next stop was to see you. How are you doing?"

"I'm good. Feeling good. Better than good. I was going to ask Taryn to lunch, but if I'm interrupting…"

"Nah, man, I was just leaving. I'll see you two later."

"Later Sam!" waived Taryn.

Steve watched the door close and approached her. "So… Sam was … visiting?"

She raised a brow. "Yeah… he was with me and Tasha when we found you. He knows what I went through to get you back. He was just checking on me. And he really was heading to see you next."

"Yeah… okay…"

Suddenly it dawned on her. "Are you jealous?"

"Er… yes… I mean, should I be?"

She shook her head with a smile. "No, you shouldn't be. Sam and I are not doing anything but speaking politely to each other like teammates and friends should do." Taryn got right in his face. "I'm still your girl. That is, if you still want me to be."

"Of course I do!"

"Well, okay then. Oh! Hang on, be right back!" She dashed off to her bedroom and came back with something in her hand. She held it out and opened it.

"My… my watch! Taryn, where did you find it?"

"It was in _her_ apartment. I kept it for you and then almost forgot I had it."

"Oh, Taryn. Thank you. It meant a lot to me the night you gave it to me, and it means a lot to me still." He took her face in his hands and looked deep into the eyes he fell in love with months after she arrived. "I love you, Taryn."

She beamed. She hadn't heard that since the weekend before he was taken. She was beginning to think that his feelings for her had changed. Taryn placed her hands on his strong chest. "I love you. I'm very happy you're feeling better."

Steve wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Me too. And I still want nothing more than to marry you, in case you're wondering."

She smiled, snuggling into his embrace, resting her head on his strong shoulder. "Well I wasn't going to push for an answer on that, but I'm glad you're still okay with it."

"You've brought me out of my shell, Taryn. And I'm grateful for that. I don't think our relationship would have survived as long if we weren't who we are."

Taryn led him over to the couch and they wrapped their arms around each other. "No, I agree. I think about that sometimes… Both of us need to be strong enough to survive being an Avenger and together." And she was half joking.

"Taryn… do you ever think about… I mean now that we're engaged… about eventually having children?" he inquired.

"I do… I wonder if they'll inherit any abilities from me… I wonder how they'll turn out… I wonder what kind of world they'll grow up in. I think about it more now. And you?"

"I do. And like you, I wonder what they'll inherit. I don't know if they'll have a good constitution from the serum, or if they'll be like how I was growing up. I don't think I would wish that on anyone, let alone a kid."

She nodded. "But you survived, though. Although it was rough when I started exhibiting abilities. I would hope I would be better prepared for that, having gone through it myself. But the thing is no matter how prepared you think you are, there is always something you didn't expect."

Rogers kissed her forehead. "Life it like that, isn't it."

McKenna laughed. "This year certainly is."


	10. Chapter 10 - Meet The Parents

_**Chapter 10**_

 _ **Meet the Parents**_

The weekend arrived and Taryn woke with a stretch and a yawn. Despite the fact that they were engaged, Steve and Taryn had decided to continue to keep separate quarters. Not to say they didn't spend nights together but Steve's 1940s sensibilities prevailed and they wouldn't move in together until after the wedding. She didn't mind, really. Even though she stayed with him previously for a few days, she hadn't moved in. She supposed he wasn't quite ready for that yet.

Taryn glanced at the clock and was surprised it was eight thirty. She must have needed the sleep. She showered, fixed herself some breakfast and sat on the couch staring at piles of papers stacked on the coffee table. She sighed and grabbed the large stack, then set to organize them.

Steve was finishing up some equipment checks when his stomach grumbled. He hadn't realized it was already lunchtime. Finishing up, he texted Taryn to see if she wanted to go out for lunch. She suggested take out and a Saturday in. He couldn't argue with that.

A little while later, after picking up take out, he arrived. He found Taryn sitting cross-legged on her couch staring at papers strewn about. He laughed. "What on earth?"

She blew a stray lock of hair from her eyes. "Well… I wanted to get a start on sorting out wedding ideas… I'm overwhelmed already."

He sat down beside her. "Let's take a break, have some lunch then maybe I can help?"

Taryn raised a brow. "You actually want to help plan the wedding?"

"Well… yeah… it's mine too, isn't it? Or am I not supposed to…"

"No! No that's great! Some guys wouldn't even offer."

They dug into their Chinese take-out cartons and Steve poured them each a glass of wine. He sat staring at the piles of papers. Taryn stuffed a dumpling into her mouth. "So, these piles are all sorted by category. Dress, venue, food, flowers, ceremony location… Just ideas I've collected over the last few weeks."

He was so out of his element, but he had volunteered, so he took a deep breath and dove in. Steve grabbed a pile… Food. I can do food!

"Okay, so… I have food here. What do you have in mind?"

She thought for a moment. "I'd like a sit down dinner, I think. Beef, chicken, fish, pasta…. Of course it depends on where we have it, and how many people…"

This was going to be harder than he thought. "Okay… so let's start from the beginning. You know we haven't even set a date yet."

"I know. I just got too involved in all this other stuff. Let me get the calendar." She jumped up and grabbed the calendar off the wall.

"What date are we looking at?" asked Rogers, flipping through the calendar.

"Hmm… definitely not winter. I want people to be able to come, not be hindered by the weather."

"Spring?"

"Too unpredictable. Could snow, could rain, could be cold."

"Ooookay, so cross off November through April. Fall?"

"Possibly, but that could be cold and rainy too. How about late summer, early September?"

"How about September 3rd?" he asked, holding out the month.

"That could work. Let's right that down."

While she was jotting the information in the calendar and in a notebook, Steve took a deep breath. They just set a date for their wedding. This was huge.

"Steve? Steve, you okay?"

"Eh, sorry, what?"

"Are. You. Okay?"

"Yeah, just… we just set a date for our wedding."

Taryn chuckled. "You getting cold feet already?"

"What? No! No, not at all. I'm really looking forward to calling you my wife."

Taryn smiled. "I do love the sound of that. You know… thank you for this."

"For what?"

"Just sitting down with me and picking a date. I was really getting overwhelmed. Thank you for reminding me of what it's about." She leaned over and kissed him.

"You're welcome. So what else can we go over?"

Taryn laughed. "You're kind of excited about this now aren't you?"

"And you're not?"

"Oh, I am, very much so. I'm just pleasantly surprised you want to be involved."

"Me too, actually," he sheepishly admitted. "So where do you want to get married? Here? The city? The cabin?"

"I've always fantasized about getting married at St. Patrick's in New York. But then I love the cabin and the town near by… and it depends on how many people we're looking to invite. I mean, I could probably name ten people and be good… but then you go into all the co-workers and acquaintances, and …"

"Taryn," Steve interrupted. "Can I ask you a question without you getting angry?"

"Well, of course!"

"What about your parents?'

That hit her like a punch in the side. "Oh, Steve… I haven't spoken to them in a long time."

Steve took her hand. "I know. But maybe now is the time to reconcile. I'd love it if my parents were still here. My mother would have loved you."

Tears welled in her eyes. She knew he was right, but would it have killed them to have reached out to her lately? They had to have seen the articles, photos…

Steve saw she was becoming emotional and pulled her close into a hug. "Maybe we could make a trip out to see them? I'd love to meet them. Might be a little easier than on the phone or an email."

Taryn took a deep breath. "I just don't know…"

"I know, love. Just don't wait too long to make a decision."

Taryn knew what he was implying, of course, as his parents were gone before he even became Captain America. She sighed and knew he was right. "Okay. I will call them. But I can't guarantee they'll even talk to me." She grabbed her cell and figured if she didn't do it now, she never would.

"You can put it on speaker if you want."

She raised her hand and mouthed 'answering machine.' "Ah… hi Mom and Dad. It's Taryn. I wanted to call and talk for a bit. If you would like to return my call, please ring my cell." She left the number and had no confidence they'd call back.

A little while later, as they were sorting more clippings, her cell rang. "It's them," she said, visibly surprised. "Hello?"

"Taryn?"

"Hi Dad."

"Taryn, I'm sorry we missed your call. We were out shoveling. Got a bit of a storm today."

"Oh, that's okay. Thanks for calling me back. Where's Mom?"

"She's just coming in now from moving the cars around… just a sec… Maggie, Taryn's on the phone."

"Okay, I'll get it in the kitchen," she heard her mother say. Moments later she picked up.

"Hello, Taryn. To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Taryn raised a brow, glared at Steve and pointed to the phone as if to say 'See how she is?'

"Just talk to her," Steve whispered.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, I thought I would call and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. And I have some news to share…"

"You're not pregnant are you?"

"Maggie?!" her father chastised.

"Maybe this isn't a good time…" said Taryn, clearly frustrated.

"Nonsense, dear," said her father. "Go ahead."

Taryn took a deep breath. "To answer your question, no I am not pregnant. I'm engaged."

There was silence for a moment. "I hope not to that agent that broke your heart."

"Good God, Mother, no…"

"Is this one an agent too?"

"Er, well, sort of…"

"Dear, you know you shouldn't mix business with pleasure."

"Maggie!" her father and mother began to argue and Steve sensed the conversation spiraling out of control.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. McKenna?" he said, and they stopped. "My name is Steve. Taryn and I are in the same line of work, yes. But I love your daughter and want to spend the rest of my life with her." That seemed to shut them up for a bit. Steve continued. "We'd like to come and visit you. I'd love to meet you both."

"Well, Taryn, he definitely doesn't sound like your usual fare. We'd love to have you both if you can find the time out of your busy schedule."

Taryn was fuming silently on the couch, but Steve continued speaking. "Yes, of course we have time. When would be a good time for you?" he asked politely. They set a weekend aside and pleasantly ended the conversation.

"See?! See what I mean? How judgmental she is?"

"Taryn, calm down. I understand, I heard the call. But maybe things will be better once we go to see them?"


	11. Chapter 11 - A Busy Weekend

_**Chapter 11**_

 _ **A Busy Weekend**_

The Quinjet dropped them off at the airport and they tried to pass through the terminal as inconspicuously as possible. They did get recognized a few times and stopped to sign autographs and photos then hurried to the car rental. Taryn had insisted on a rental in case they would not last the weekend. Steve appeased her and they headed to her childhood home. Taryn pulled into the drive and sat there, car running.

Steve looked over at her. "You okay?" he asked gently.

"I feel like I want to throw up."

"Hey, just remember, I'm here. We can leave whenever you want."

She looked into his bright blue eyes and took a deep breath. She was very glad he was here with her. "Okay, let's do this before I change my mind."

Steve grabbed the luggage from the trunk and Taryn waited for him, then grabbed his hand and they approached the front door together.

The house hadn't changed a bit with the exception of a new coat of paint and new shutters. She silently wondered if all traces of her were wiped from the inside.

Taryn's father answered the door. He was a tall man, dark hair graying at the temples. He smiled brightly. "Taryn! Welcome home! Come in, the both of you."

Her father took the bags and coats and ushered them into the living room. He hugged his daughter and extended a hand to Steve. "You look familiar. I'm Henry McKenna."  
Steve shook his hand. "Steve Rogers, sir. Happy to meet you."

Her father stood staring at him for a moment. So those magazines and all their rumors were true… "Steve Rogers as in… Taryn is this…?  
Taryn rolled her eyes. "Yes, Dad. Captain Steve Rogers. Captain America."

"Wow. What a pleasure. I'm a big fan. I can't believe you're marrying into the family."

"Oh, Henry, calm down," said Maggie walking into the room.

Steve extended a hand to her. "A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. McKenna."

She raised a brow. "Well, at least he's polite. Please, call me Maggie. So you want to marry Taryn. You know what you're in for?"

"Mother!? Really?"

"See, she over reacts."

"Mrs. McKenna… Maggie. Your daughter is an amazing woman. She's beautiful, brilliant and her abilities are amazing. She's saved lives with those abilities, including mine."

"Well, that's something. She nearly blew out her bedroom wall when she was ten."

Steve could see Taryn was becoming more agitated, so he grabbed her hand. "Well, she is highly skilled and trained now. She's a very valuable member of the Avengers."

"Save it Steve," said Taryn, exasperated. "She doesn't really care. All she sees is a freak." She stood to leave and her father stood.

"Now stop it. Both of you. Taryn, your mother and I just have a difficult time understanding what you can do. Maggie, it wouldn't kill you to be civil to your _adult_ daughter and her fiancé, would it?"

That seemed to catch Maggie's attention. She suddenly looked sad. "Taryn, I… I'm sorry. I've just never known how to deal with your abilities. They scare me frankly…"

Taryn slumped on the couch. "How do you think I felt before I went to train with SHIELD? You never talked to me about it. You acted like you couldn't wait to get rid of me."

It was like it suddenly dawned on her mother just how she had treated Taryn for all those years. "Oh…. Oh Taryn… I'm so sorry. We should have spoken to you. But I didn't know what to say. When you left, yes we were relieved, but only for the fact that you were going to a place that could teach you how to use your abilities the right way." Tears were in Maggie's eyes. "I'm just so sorry we lost so much time since then. Can you ever forgive us? Me?"  
Taryn exhaled deeply. "Yes, I just wish you talked to me sooner, rather than ignoring phone calls and emails. Let's just move on from here, okay?"

Maggie stood and pulled her daughter to her feet, hugging her tightly. "Yes. Let's do that."

"Well now that that is cleared up…" said Henry. "Captain Rogers, how about a drink. Care to help me in the kitchen?"

"Please, call me Steve," he replied following him into the other room.

Henry reached for some glasses. "So tell me, Steve. Are all those war stories true? Did you really fight in World War two?"

Steve nodded, getting ice out of the freezer. He explained the plane going down in the ice, and SHIELD's discovery of him 70 years later.

"That's incredible. And you don't look a day over 28."

"My body didn't age when I was in the ice. The serum in my veins kept my blood, and me in a sort of stasis."

"So. You want to marry my daughter, then."

"Ah… yes sir. I'm sorry I didn't have an opportunity to ask your permission before I proposed."

Henry waived a hand. "Think nothing of it. I'm just happy Taryn seems to finally have found someone that treats her well."

Taryn looked down at the floor as her mother sat beside her. "Taryn, I don't think I could apologize enough. But I have something I'd like to show you." Maggie went off to another room and returned with a large scrap book. She handed it to Taryn who opened it carefully. It was filled with photos and clippings. Things from her birth up until recent news articles.

"What is all this?"

"Even though I was frightened by what you could do, I still loved you. I do love you. When I heard you became an Avenger, I was very proud that you had done something good with your life. I worry, especially when you disappeared for two weeks last summer…. What happened?"

She chuckled. 1946. "I'll tell you and dad later."

"Okay, good. So… let me see your ring."

Taryn laughed and held out her hand. "Oh, my… that is gorgeous. Is it an antique?"

You could say that, she laughed to herself. "Yes, 1946."

"Taryn, it's beautiful. And you've grown into a beautiful young woman. Steve seems like a very nice young man. Er… well, he isn't young, is he…"

"Well, it's complicated. But physically he's about 28. His birth certificate would tell you otherwise, but he is really good for me. He keeps me grounded."

Steve entered the room followed by Henry. "And she adds the spontaneity that was missing in my life. Plus, she understands where I came from. She gets my movie references because she's seen them. She's my girl and I couldn't ask for more."

Taryn felt herself blush and she took his hand. "We just fit very well together."

"And I can't imagine my life without her."

A few moments of silence passed and her father held up his glass. "To the two of you. Congratulations on your engagement."

"We should celebrate," said Maggie. "Let's go out to dinner."

Her mother went off to make reservations and Henry showed Steve and Taryn where they would be staying. "We're all adults here, so we don't have an issue with the two of you staying in the same room."

Taryn flushed a deep crimson. "Dad!"

"Well? I'm not going to pretend that you've never been in the same bed together."

"Okay, Dad, you can go now. We'll get settled…" Taryn ushered him out and closed the door. "Oh my God."

Steve found himself laughing. "Well that went better than expected."

"I suppose so. You know my mom has a whole scrap book full of stuff on me? I never knew…"

"Maybe now the three of you can start from a new beginning." He sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her to him. She put her arms around his shoulders and bent down to kiss the top of his head.

"Thank you for being here with me."

"Of course," he smiled, his blue eyes shining in the sunlight that filtered through the window. "I love you. And I thought it only right to want to meet your parents before we get married."

Taryn hugged him tightly. "Thank you. I love you, too."

A knock at the door broke the silence and all of a sudden Taryn felt self-conscious. "I've never had a guy in my room before."

Steve laughed and kissed her quickly. "Then I feel privileged. Come in," he called.

"Your mother has made reservations at the country club. She wants to brag about your engagement." He laughed. "We'll leave here at five."

"Thanks Dad, we'll be down soon."

Her father closed the door behind him and Taryn rummaged through her suitcase. She hoped she had brought something suitable. She wasn't expecting that location for dinner.

"So, country club?"

"Yeah, Dad likes to golf, Mom likes to socialize. I like to avoid it because it was always filled with fellow students that couldn't stand me, or picked on me."

"Well, it's nice to know that we're all adults and beyond that… Should I wear a tie?"

Taryn playfully stuck her tongue out at him. "No, you should be fine with a jacket. Oh good, you brought the blue shirt I like."

Steve slipped on some navy trousers, his blue shirt and a navy jacket. "Approved?"

She smiled. "You look very handsome." Taryn held up a little black dress in front of her as she stood by the mirror. She slipped it on and adjusted it. Long sleeved, it hugged her curves and fell to just above the knee. The square neckline needed something, so she put on the emerald necklace Steve had given her for Christmas. "Approved?"

He chuckled. "You look gorgeous as always. Shall we?"

They went downstairs and met her parent's in the living room. "Are we presentable?"

"You look lovely, dear. And Captain Rogers, you look very handsome. Shall we go?"

Taryn's father drove while her mother chatted away about the club members that Taryn barely remembered. They arrived and the club was full. Great, Taryn thought. More people that I could care less about. She was still remembering her childhood and school and how the kids picked on her. She tried not to be that little girl again; she was strong, accomplished and rather wealthy in her own right. They had nothing on her anymore.

Steve helped her out of the car and took her hand. She pulled her coat around her in the blowing wind and they followed her parents in. Checking their coats, they were then seated at their table. It reminded Steve of the supper club they went to in 1946. This is something I can handle, he thought.

Taryn took a deep breath as they sat, and she looked around like she was expecting predators to pounce.

"Relax," he whispered in her ear, his hand closing on hers. He kissed her cheek and she calmed herself.

Henry McKenna ordered a bottle of champagne and toasted to Taryn and Steve. As they ate, Taryn sensed someone approach her from behind. She saw her mother smile and wave someone over.

"Pauline, so good to see you!" said Maggie. "You remember our daughter, Taryn?"

Taryn took a deep breath and turned. Pauline Harris and her daughter Cassidy. They stood smiling. Taryn raised a brow. Cassidy had been a cheerleader and an antagonist to her all through school. She saw Steve look at her as if to say 'let it go'.

Cassidy looked at Taryn wide eyed, as if she expected someone with unkempt hair in a strait jacket. "Taryn? Goodness, I'd have never recognized you."

"Cassidy, I hope you're well? I'd like to introduce my fiancée, Captain Steven Rogers."

Steve stood tall and shook her hand. "A pleasure." Taryn hid her smile behind her napkin.

"Ah… er… Nice to meet you… I've seen you in the news…I didn't know you and Taryn were engaged."

Taryn piped up. "Oh yes, he found a lovely antique ring for me." She flashed it in their faces. "Proposed to me on Christmas eve, on a sleigh ride. Very romantic."

"Well… Congratulations Taryn…" Cassidy wasn't sure what else to say but Taryn noticed her hiding her left hand due to an absence of a ring. She walked back to her table in a bit of a daze, followed by her mother.

Taryn laughed into her napkin. "Ooo that was fun! Who else can we shock?"

Even her mother laughed. "Taryn?!" her mother jokingly scolded. "It is good to see you smile sitting here. You used to hate this place."

"Well, I have a reason to like it now."

After dinner, the music started and Steve led Taryn out onto the dance floor. "And to think, a year ago, I had no idea how to dance."

Taryn smiled at him. "And you're so good at it now. You don't even step on my toes."

"Hey!" he feigned surprise. "I have never stepped on your toes!"

She giggled in his ear. "You're fun to tease."

"Oh? How about I tease you later?" he whispered.

She flushed. "Hmm… promises, promises. Don't forget, we're staying at my parents' house."

"Makes it all the more exciting, doesn't it?"

"Captain, you're such a bad boy."

He grinned his lopsided grin. "It's all your fault, you know."

Moments later, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Mind if I cut in?" Taryn's father asked.

Steve acquiesced with a smile and went to sit at their table.

"He seems like a very nice man," said Henry taking her hand.

"He is, Dad. He gets me. He's been really good for me. He really makes me happy."

Henry smiled. "Well, that is all I can ask. As long as you're sure."

She knew what he was getting at. "Dad, he isn't like the others."

"Well, no, being Captain America, I'd expect not. But about the age difference…"

Taryn chuckled. "He was frozen at the age of about 28. Physically, he is still that age. But he came from a much different time. His morals and beliefs are very strong. He's a good guy and he treats me very well."

Her father considered this as they danced.

Steve sat at their table where Taryn's mother introduced him to a multitude of members that kept streaming by the table.

"Don't worry. I don't expect you to remember them all," she laughed. They sat in silence for a moment, then Maggie spoke again. "I haven't seen Taryn this happy in a very long time. That's all thanks to you, I suppose?"

"I don't know if it's all me. Taryn is a very strong, independent woman who is very good at her job. She has friends and is very well liked and admired."

Her mother was impressed. No relationship of Taryn's ever spoke that highly of her. They seemed to mostly focus on her looks. "So, you really do love her?"

Steve smiled warmly. "I do and I intend on spending the rest of my life showing her."

She saw the sincerity in his eyes and smiled. 'Well then. Welcome to the family. I'm happy for you both."

The drive home was quiet and when they arrived at the house, Taryn went up to change. Henry caught Steve in the living room. "I see you survived the introductions and Maggie's questioning."

Steve laughed. "I did. Your wife is quite concerned about Taryn's happiness."

Henry sighed. "Yes. It didn't seem that way for years to Taryn. Neither her mother, nor I handled it very well at all. We hope to make it up to here now, if she'll let us."

"She's a lot more receptive than you may think."


	12. Chapter 12 - A Retail Experience

_**Chapter 12**_

 _ **A Retail Experience**_

Taryn changed into some loungewear and was about to open the door when she sensed her mother there. She opened the door with a thought. "Hi Mom."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course. What's up?"

"I just wanted you to know that for what it's worth, I really like Steve. You seem very good together and we're happy for you."

Taryn smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"And… I'm sorry for all the wasted years."

"Thank you. I am too. So, let's just move on from here, okay?'

"Okay. So…." Her mother sat on the edge of the bed next to her. "Have you been dress shopping?"

"For a wedding dress? Frankly, I haven't had the time…"

"Would you…. Would you like to go while you're here? I'm not saying you'll have to buy something, but maybe we could go looking?"

"Um, well," this was something she didn't expect. "I guess we could since we're here for a few days. I have no idea what I want…"

"Well, good. Maybe this will help you. I can make an appointment for tomorrow if you like?"

"Sure, Mom. Tomorrow is fine."

"Good! Okay, well then. I'll let you finish changing."

Taryn sat on the bed staring at her hands after she finished changing. Her mother wanted to go dress shopping…

Steve finished his conversation with Taryn's father then came up stairs to change. He knocked softly on the door and opened it. He saw Taryn sitting quietly on the bed. "Hey. You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. Just a bit stunned that my mother wants to take me dress shopping."

"Oh, well that sounds fun…"

She raised an eye brow and stared at him. "For THE dress," she interrupted.

"Oh! Well, you haven't looked for one yet, have you?"

"No… only photos…"

"Then there you go. It will give you some time with your mother and try some things on."

Taryn's mother, being who she was, knew the owners of three prominent bridal shops in town. She made appointments and advised Taryn of the day's schedule.

Steve chuckled. "You going to be okay?"

"I think I'll survive. What will you be doing today?"

"Your father is taking me back to the club to meet his golfing buddies. I guess a few of them are vets so they may be swapping war stories."

"You okay with that? You know Dad doesn't introduce everyone to his friends…"

"Oh it will be fine. You and your mother enjoy the day. It will be good for you."

Maggie drove to the first appointment after breakfast. Bellamy Bridal was owned by her friend Catherine Bellamy. It was a large shop and Catherine had placed them in a private room off to the side. She came in personally to see them. She hugged her mother then turned her attention to Taryn.

"Hello my dear! Congratulations on your engagement."

Taryn shook her hand. "Thank you, Mrs. Bellamy."

"Oh, please, call me Catherine. Let's see your ring! Oh my, that is gorgeous. Is it vintage?"

"Yes, 1946."

"Well it is lovely. So what will you be looking for today?"

Taryn sighed. "Honestly, I don't know what I'm looking for…"

"Well then, let's start trying some things on, shall we?"

Her assistant pulled a few dresses and they retreated into the dressing room. Her first dress was a tight mermaid gown covered with beading and flounced out into a frilly skirt at the knee. Taryn struggled to walk out of the dressing room.

Her mother raised a brow. "Oh, that's… interesting… do you like it?"

Taryn stifled a laugh. "Um… no."

"Oh, thank goodness," said her mother in relief.

"Next," Taryn stated and they went back into the dressing room. Six dresses later and she found nothing that appealed to her. Everything was very modern and couture, so she now knew she wanted something a bit more vintage. They said their goodbyes and moved on to the next shop. Unfortunately she didn't find anything there either. Being lunch time, they decided to make their way to a restaurant where they were seated and ordered drinks to start.

"I'm surprised at how many horrible dresses there are out there," Taryn laughed.

Her mother nodded. "How about that one that was high in the front and low in the back?"

Taryn rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I can just see Steve's reaction if I came down the aisle in something like that."

They ate and conversed and Taryn was surprised at the interest her mother was showing for her life and abilities. Maggie still didn't understand them, but she was, perhaps, a bit more accepting. The waitress brought the check and her mother had taken out her purse to find her wallet when Taryn suddenly sensed something. Her eyes shot to a couple just walking into the restaurant and Taryn could sense ill intent. She looked at her mother and tapped her foot under the table.

"What is it?"

"Mother, I need you to listen to me and not ask any questions."

Maggie noticed a change in Taryn's demeanor. She'd never seen her so serious and focused. She simply nodded in reply.

Taryn continued in a low voice. "The couple that just walked in are going to try and rob the restaurant. I am going to stop them. I am putting a shield around you and you're going to feel a warm sensation. Just relax and act like you don't know anything. Continue to look through your purse."

Maggie was suddenly too frightened to speak. She watched her daughter take up the bill and the couple stepped in behind her at the counter.

Taryn knew that both were armed and she anticipated the woman grabbing her arm and pulling it behind her back. "Don't move unless you want someone to get shot."

Taryn looked at her mother who was starting to get up from her chair. She forced her back down with a thought and mouthed, 'don't move.'

The man pushed his way to the counter and demanded money from the waitress. Taryn threw a shield up around her as well.

"C'mon! The money! Or I'll start shooting!"

"I don't think you want to do that," Taryn said calmly.

The other patrons stared at her as the man turned around and got in her face. "And what are you going to do about it, Bitch?"

"Tsk, tsk, such language…" she said to give her time to project a shield around the couple and herself. If a gun went off, it wouldn't go out into the restaurant. "You'll not be leaving here with any money."

Mentally she pushed the man back against the shield, stunning him momentarily. He dropped his gun and she picked it up with a thought, moved it out through the shield and placed it on a table. Taryn turned to the waitress and yelled, "Call the police!"

"Why you…" the woman behind her tried to fire her gun into Taryn's back, but her hand was held in place. "What the fuck?!"

Taryn reached around her, grabbed the woman by the collar and pulled her over her shoulder. The woman landed on her backside and Taryn pulled the gun from her hand, sending it to the same table as the other weapon. The man regained himself and lunged at Taryn, grabbing her about the waist. She rolled with it, twisting him so that she had him in a head lock. The woman charged, and Taryn threw the man into the shield, amping up the charge and knocking him out cold.

Taryn threw out her hand, blocking the woman six inches from her. She grabbed the woman's arm and pulled in her in to land a punch square on her jaw. The woman dropped like a stone.

One could have heard a pin drop in the restaurant. She then heard sirens coming closer, and the place erupted into applause. Taryn felt her cheeks burn and made her way back to the table and removed the shield from around her mother. Sitting, she kept a shield around the would-be robbers and their weapons for good measure.

Maggie sat staring blankly at her.

"Mom, are you okay?"

"I… I… my God… you… you did all that… you saved…"

Taryn nodded. "That's what I do, Mom. Now you really know."

She was about to speak when the police entered. Taryn stepped up to the officer, showing her SHIELD badge. He took down her statement while two others carted the perpetrators off to jail. It took about an hour for everything to be noted and cleared. Taryn was still getting autograph and photo requests as she and her mother were about to head out. The restaurant owner came to thank her personally and all the while her mother was just staring at her.


	13. Chapter 13 - The Perfect Conclusion

_**Chapter 13**_

 _ **The Perfect Conclusion**_

They got out to the car and Maggie got behind the wheel and just sat there. Taryn got in, buckled up and turned to her mother. "Mom?"

Maggie slowly turned to her daughter. "I'm so proud of you. What you did back there was amazing. SHEILD really did train you well."

Taryn smiled. "They did, and thank you. Now you've seen what I can do. It's my life as a SHIELD agent and an Avenger."

"Well I never could have imagined if I hadn't seen it for myself. Well, we did have one more appointment. I can understand if you wanted to call it a day right now…"

"Well, I am a bit tired. Maybe we can move it to tomorrow?"

Maggie nodded and called the salon. "Ten o'clock is fine, thank you."

"Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome. Let's get you home so you can rest."

Meanwhile, Steve, Henry and Henry's golfing friends sat around a table drinking beer and chatting about the service. There were a few veterans and Steve found the conversation genuine and entertaining. It reminded him a bit of the Howling Commandos before a mission. A nostalgic smile spread across his face. Steve finished his beer and made his way to the bar to order another round. The TV was on, and breaking news interrupted the show. He heard someone mention 'Avenger' and his head snapped to the TV.

Henry came up behind him and was about to speak when Steve held his hand up to be silent. The video being shown was from a cell phone taken by a patron of a down town restaurant. It featured a woman fighting two would-be thieves in the dining room.

"…and the young lady subdued the perpetrators without any harm to anyone in the room. Taryn McKenna, a member of the hero group, the Avengers is in town visiting family for a few days. Thank you, Ms. McKenna, for keeping a sharp watch on our city."

Steve looked over at Henry who stood slack-jawed. "Was that my little girl?"

Steve nodded, still impressed by her abilities. "Yes sir. That was just a sampling of her talent."

"Wow…"

Soon his friends crowded around him and Steve slipped off to the side to send a quick text to Taryn.

They were nearly home when Taryn's phone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket and chuckled. "Apparently I made the news…" she said to her mother.

"What?"  
"Yeah, someone took a phone video of what happened in the restaurant. Steve just saw it on TV."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Well, they did say I didn't wreck the place and everyone remained safe. I guess that's something."

Taryn retreated to the bedroom to lie down for a bit. Expending so much energy on the fight wore her out. A good twenty to thirty minute nap would do wonders for her.

Maggie was in the kitchen when Henry returned with Steve. She explained that Taryn had gone to lay down, so Steve went upstairs. Maggie took Henry aside. "Did you see on TV?

Henry nodded. "I did… I was in awe…. Our little girl was amazing…"

Maggie smiled. "I'm so proud of her. I can't believe she can really do all that. Henry, she placed what she called a shield around me and I felt warm and protected. She saved lives today."

Steve knocked softly on the door and opened it. Taryn was laying on the bed, but awake.

"Hey, you. You okay?"

She smiled at him. "I am, just needed to recharge."

"Impressive display at the restaurant."

"Thanks. I just couldn't sit by and let them harm anyone."

Steve sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know, that's who you are. And I love you for it. My girl. You hungry?"

"Hmm... actually, yes… let's see what's in the kitchen."

The two headed downstairs to find her mother and father still in the kitchen. "I could use a snack," Taryn announced, heading for the fridge.

"Taryn? Steve?" Maggie said, getting the two's attention.

Taryn munched on a carrot. "Yes?"

"You're father and I have been talking… We'd like to pay for your dress. And help you out any other way we can with the wedding."

Taryn stared at them blankly, then regained composure. "Mom, that really isn't necessary… Steve and I have the means to…"

Her father held up his hand to silence her. "I know you do. But we've lost so much time with you. We want to help and for the record we're not trying to buy our way in…"

"I know Dad but…"

"But nothing. Please let us help."

She looked at Steve then turned to her parents. "Can we have a moment?" Taryn led Steve out to the living room.

"What's wrong?"

"I never wanted them to pay for any of the wedding… that isn't why I came here…"  
"I think they know that. I just think it's they're way of offering support when it wasn't there before. They're not trying to buy it, they're just trying to help out. Your father brought it up in the car on the way back here. They do love you and want to help us out. I know we have the money, but I don't want to insult them by refusing either."

Taryn sighed. "You have a valid point. Mom would be insulted more so than Dad."

Maggie poked her head out of the kitchen. "Everything okay?"

"It's fine Mom. Okay, if you and Dad want to help, it's alright. Just know that I'm not expecting anything. Steve and I…"

Her mother waived her hands. "Yes, yes, you have your own money, we know." Maggie hugged her.

"Thank you for letting us help. So, who's up for roast chicken for dinner?"

Taryn helped her mother in the kitchen and when they sat to eat, Maggie brought up the missing two weeks from the summer again. "So what happened, anyway? You two disappeared and there were so many stories…"

Taryn laughed and launched into the tale of being sucked into the HYDRA portal and sent back to 1946. She and Steve shared the telling of the story from stealing clothing to meeting Howard Stark to HYDRA. Taryn talked about her friendship with Peggy Carter and Steve flushed. Steve quickly changed the subject with how Taryn figured out how to get information to Tony in this time. He praised Howard Stark for his ingenuity in working to get them home.

Her father asked about the cars and her mother asked about the fashion. Taryn showed them a few cell phone pictures she managed to take after Howard had given her phone back to her. "I couldn't take a lot as I didn't have a way to charge it, but that's Howard, Jarvis and Peggy. There's Steve, oh and here is one of me. I kept that outfit."

Maggie handed the phone back to her. "That is amazing… I can't believe you ended up in the past and made it back here."

"Just another day on the job," Steve partially joked.

"Well, I can't fathom some of the things you've seen, but I'm pleased that you enjoy your job, Taryn."

"I do, Dad. It really allows me to be at my full potential and then some."

The next day, Taryn and her mother made their way to the last bridal shop on her mother's agenda. It was a large shop owned by another one of Maggie's country club friends. As the two women waited for Taryn's appointment, the owner of the salon came out to greet them. "Maggie! So good to see you!"

"Hello, April," the two hugged. "You remember my daughter, Taryn?"

"Oh my how you've grown! You're such a lovely young woman now." As if she would have grown up otherwise? People tended to remember her past here… Taryn simply nodded. "So what can we do for you today?"

"Well… I'm dress shopping…"

"Oh, are you in a wedding dear?"

Taryn raised a brow. "Yes, mine."

"Oh!" April looked truly stunned. "Well, then, congratulations! May I see your ring?"

Taryn happily flashed her jewelry. "That is lovely! So what kind of dress are you looking for?"

"Definitely vintage inspired. I don't like modern at all… discovered that yesterday… I like lace. Perhaps something ivory."

"Well then, let's get you into a dressing room."

Over the course of an hour, Taryn tried numerous gowns, showed her mother a few, and was disappointed. The salesperson brought two more dresses as their appointment was coming to an end. One she didn't even want to show her mother. "My fiancée is a bit old fashioned. I don't think he'd want everyone seeing so much of my… everything…"

The girl laughed. "It is a bit revealing. Okay, off with it. Let's try the last one."

Maggie sat chatting with April while waiting for Taryn to come out of the dressing room.

"Tell me, Maggie, was that your daughter on the news yesterday?"

Maggie smiled. "Yes it was. I'm very proud of her for protecting us all in the restaurant."

"You were there?"

"Oh yes. We were having lunch when she sensed those two walk in. She has truly amazing abilities." Maggie smiled, now realizing just how special her daughter was.

"Weren't you scared? I would be with those… powers."

"I used to be. Now I see that she truly is remarkable. She's honed her gifts as an Avenger now. It's really amazing. We spent a lot of years confused and scared, but now we've reconciled and I really understand her gifts now. It's been a pretty incredible weekend."

Taryn looked at the lace dress on the hanger. It was pretty, but at this point she didn't think anything would look good. The girl helped her dress, then zipped up the back and buttoned the neck. Her back was tastefully exposed and fell open to just above the small of her back.

"I just love the back on you," said the attendant.

Taryn smoothed the sides of the gown as it fell over her hips. Form fitting but softly flowing, it fell away from her body at the thigh. It was not a traditional mermaid style, but soft flowing lace with no hard seams. Tired, she took a deep breath and turned to face the mirror with no expectations.

"What do you think?" the girl asked.

Taryn was speechless. The dress fit her perfectly. It was soft and flowing, accentuated her curves without being overt. The style was vintage with a nod to the modern in shape. The shoulders fell in lace just enough to cap her arm, leaving the rest bare.

"I think it's…. Perfect."

The girl was surprised. "Oh, well good! Do you want to show your mother?"

"I think I do, please."

The two walked out of the dressing room and April gasped. "Oh, we just got that dress in! You look stunning!"

Maggie was speechless as her daughter stepped up onto the platform and turned to her mother.

"What do you think?" Taryn asked.

"Oh, Taryn. It's gorgeous. You look beautiful. Do you want to wear a veil?"

Taryn thought for a moment. "I don't know… what about a head piece?"

The attendant looked at her a moment and said, "I know just the one." She went off and came back minutes later with a headpiece of small rosettes made of matching lace. The netting fell over her forehead and eye as it sat on one side of her head with her hair pinned up beneath it. She asked Taryn to close her eyes and she turned her around to face the large mirror. "Okay, open your eyes."

Taryn was speechless. She had given up hope that she would find a dress the way things had been going. And she thought for a while she would just have to settle. But this dress… the fit, the lace, the color… it was perfect. The head piece completed it. She could not wait for Steve to see it.

"So Taryn, is this your wedding dress?" asked the attendant.

Taryn stared for a moment then nodded. "It is. It's just perfect."

Henry and Steve sat chatting and watching John Wayne movies on cable when the ladies returned home.

"Hey Maggie, did you spend all our money?" joked Henry from his recliner.

Taryn walked around to Steve's recliner and sat on the arm rest.

"Hey, Love, how did it go?"

"I guess it went well. I found a dress."

"What? Really? That's great!" He pulled her onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Happy?"

"It's really beautiful and that is all I am going to say about it. You'll just have to wait."

"Ugh… we could always move up the date?"

Taryn laughed. "Absolutely not."

"It really is a lovely dress," said Maggie, sitting on the couch. "I'm happy you found something."

"Did it break the bank?"

She reached over and swatted her husband's arm. "No and it doesn't matter anyway. She found something she loves."

The next day saw them packing and getting ready to head back to SHIELD. Steve took the luggage down to the car and Maggie knocked on the door. "I'm sorry you have to leave so soon."

Taryn smiled. "Me too, actually. This weekend has been… good."

Her mother nodded. "It has. I'm glad you reached out to us again, especially now. Steve is nice man and you two seem very happy together."

"I am too. And we are. It's kind of sappy and old-fashioned in a way, but we really fit."

"Well, your father and I are very happy for you. Come visit us again soon."

"We will. If nothing else, I'll have a fitting to come back for."

Steve called up the stairwell and Taryn replied she was on her way down. Maggie followed her and they said their good-byes. "I'll be back for the fitting." Taryn waived.

She drove to the airport and they went out onto a private runway to board a Quinjet.

"Well, that turned out to be a decent weekend."

Taryn smiled. "It did. I'm very surprised at how well things went. Thank you for pushing me to come here."

He smiled softly at her. "You're welcome. I'm glad you reconnected with your parents."

"Me too. New year, new beginnings, right?"

Steve sat beside her, strapping in and putting his arm around her. "Absolutely."


	14. Chapter 14 - Down Time

_**Chapter 14**_

 _ **Down Time**_

Spring had come to Headquarters, and the weather was slowly starting to warm up. Taryn and Steve had gone for a run in the morning and then she went on to teach an undercover operative class to new recruits.

There were a few students that had more questions about Captain America than the actual topic, but she fielded them well and continued on with the day's lesson. She was discussing the Cover. How to create one, how to manage one and how to maintain it under pressure. She used her experience with going under cover with the company that was a HYDRA front as a good teaching tool. Especially the part about the co-worker who thought he was entitled to some extracurricular activities.

"Always remember to maintain your cool and take care of the situation before it blows your cover." She looked at the clock. "So that's all for today. Remember your paper is due next Tuesday, so use the weekend to work on it." Taryn was in her office putting some files away, when her phone buzzed.

"Almost finished?"

She smiled at the text from Steve. "Yes, I am. What's up?"

"Swing by my quarters when you're done."

Hmm…. She wondered what he was up to. She packed up her laptop, shut down the other computer and made her way to Steve's quarters. She knocked and he opened the door, grinning.

She chuckled at him, knowing he had a hard time keeping things from her. "What are you up to?"

"Who, me? Nothing…"

"Uh huh… what's going on? Why is my bag on your couch?"

"Well…. I thought maybe we'd go away for the weekend. We haven't had much time together lately. I thought we could go into the city, maybe do some wedding stuff… just spend the weekend together?"

Taryn stepped closer to him. "That is very sweet of you. I'd love a weekend away."

"Good." He kissed her quickly and grabbed their bags. "We have reservations."

Steve drove into the city and pulled up in front of a posh boutique hotel and they checked in. Steve had reserved a suite at the top and had champagne waiting.

"My goodness, Captain. You thought of everything."

"Anything for my girl," he pulled her close and kissed her. "I have reservations for dinner tonight. Nice quiet place down on 5th."

"Sounds great. What time are our reservations?"

"Seven."

"Hmm… I wonder what we could do until then…"

"Hmm… I wonder…" he replied with a wink.

An hour and a half later they were out of the shower, dressed and in a cab headed downtown to the restaurant. They were seated at a nice table toward the back, and ordered some wine with their dinner. They chatted and drank and ate, enjoying each other's company.

Taryn was talking about her class that day and Steve was listening intently until someone walking by the restaurant's window caught his attention. He stared at the figure standing there staring back at him.

"Steve… Steve?"

"Hmm? What, sorry?"

"You were a million miles away. Are you okay?"

"Yes… yes I'm fine. I thought a saw…. something…"

Taryn raised a brow and turned around but no one was there but the other restaurant patrons. They continued their meal, chatted for a while longer and then went to get a cab. Taryn slid into the cab and Steve followed. As they drove back to the hotel, he glanced down an alley way that they passed and the figure from the window was staring back at him again.

Steve stood on the balcony looking out over the city. He knew what he saw, who he saw. He couldn't be wrong. He heard Taryn behind him. Turning he found her in the ivory silk chemise he bought her.

"It's lovely," she said with a smile.

He smiled in return, "Yes, you are." He could still make her blush. Steve took her in his arms. "Is there anything special you'd like to do while we're in the city?"

"Nothing in particular. Maybe the museum. Doesn't really matter as long as we're together."

He took her face in his hands. "I like that answer." He bent his head to kiss her lips softly at first.

Taryn wrapped her arms around him and held him close. She moaned faintly as his hands moved down her body to grip her backside. He slipped his hands beneath the silk and reveled in the feel of her bare skin. She pressed closer to him and pulled his shirt from the waistband of his pants. Picking her up, he carried her to the bedroom.

Taryn held him close, running kisses along his cheek and neck. She was set down gently and began to unbutton his shirt. She smiled up at him as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders and Steve kissed her slowly and purposefully. Taryn stepped back from him, slipping the straps off her shoulders and letting the chemise drop to the floor. She took his hands, leading him over to the bed, and sat. She watched his eyes as she slowly unbuckled his belt and slid it out of the loops. Taryn tossed it on the chair next to the bed.

She smiled up at him as she unbuttoned the waistband and gradually unzipped the front. Agonizingly slow from his point of view, he could feel himself straining against the fabric of his khakis. Steve closed his eyes as he could feel her hands drifting from his abdomen, to his hips and she slid his pants down his strong legs to the floor. He stepped out of them and kicked them aside. Taryn ran her palm along the front of his boxers, teasing his member until he couldn't take it any longer. "Please…" escaped his lips and she smirked.

Taryn slipped his boxers from his hips and wrapped her hand around his hardened length and he groaned loudly. She stroked him firmly but gently. Leaning in, she ran her tongue along the underside and swirled it around the tip. His fingers entwined her in her hair as she took him fully into her mouth.

"Oh, god, Taryn… I'm the one who is supposed to be spoiling you this weekend…"

She looked up at him and continued to move her hands and mouth around him. Taryn gripped his back side and pulled her closer to him and he moaned. She slowed her efforts, then moved to lay back on the bed. Steve lay down beside her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her passionately. His hands roamed her body, teasing her breasts, finding the curly tuft of hair below her waist. Steve's fingers slipped into the wetness and she sighed, her legs parting. He continued to kiss her fiercely, sliding his fingers in and out of her, making her cry out his name.

Taryn peaked and clung to him, urgently pulling him to her. He rose up on his knees and she rested her legs on his strong chest. He entered her slowly and she gripped the sheets. "Mmmmmyes that feels so good…."

Steve thrust into her several times then spread her legs to pull her to him. She straddled his hips and crushed herself to his chest, holding him close and kissing him hungrily. They rocked together on the bed, Steve ravaged her throat with kisses and she dug her nails into his shoulders. His hands gripped her backside, pulling her as close as possible. She arched her back, feeling him deeper inside her and she climaxed. "Ahh! God Steve… yes!"

He followed suit moments later, throwing his head back with a low rumble in his throat. They collapsed on the bed together after that, limbs entwined, and satiated momentarily. Taryn continued to run her hands along his bare skin, feeling the muscles ripple beneath the flushed surface. It took him mere minutes to become fully aroused again, and he made love to her slowly this time. Taryn held him close as moved between her legs and pressed her to the sheets. The feel of his weight on her was like a comfort to her. He was solid and real and did not mask his feelings for her. She looked forward to spending the rest of her life with him feeling safe and contented.

The two fell asleep a little while later, in each other's arms. Steve woke about an hour and a half later and lay staring at the ceiling. He couldn't get the image of the man at the window out of his head. So, he was in the city… was he following them? How else could he have been there at the restaurant… He had to find him. But at what cost? Taryn stirred beside him and he turned to her as she slept peacefully. He couldn't leave now, not in the middle of the night…. Perhaps he would take her out tomorrow to the museum. If they were being followed, he should turn up again… He forced himself to rest and did not wake until sunrise.

Taryn stretched as she woke alone in the bed. She rose and pulled on a robe and wandered out into the living room.

"Ahh, good timing. Room service was just delivered."

Steve had set up breakfast on the table wearing only jeans. Taryn smiled; he looked so sexy and didn't even realize it. "It smells wonderful."

He held out the chair for her and she sat. "We have bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes, sausage, cinnamon buns, coffee, tea…"

"Who else have you invited to breakfast?" she joked.

"Hey, I'm hungry."

They ate quietly until Steve broke the silence. "So shall we head to the museum today?"

"Well, I suppose we could… or we could just stay in?" she batted her lashes at him.

Steve chuckled. He knew he needed to see if they would be followed again. "Well, we could, but I know how much you enjoy the museum too."

Taryn munched on a bagel. "Yes, you're right. I never get tired of the Met. Okay, you sold me. I'm going to shower, care to join me?"

He nodded. "Be right there."

Since parking could be such a nightmare in the city, they took another cab to the Met and spent the morning wandering around its many exhibits. As they walked through the Arms and Armor section Steve caught a glimpse of a dark figure out of the corner of his eye.

"Er… Taryn, why don't you go on to the Egyptian Art and I'll meet you there after I get out of the rest room?

Taryn, engrossed in the beauty of the engraving on a suit of armor, nodded. "Sure, that sounds good. Then we can get some lunch after that."

"Ah, yeah, okay. See you in a few…"

Steve walked quickly in the direction of the rest rooms, but turned swiftly to the left as he spotted the figure walking away toward the American Art section. Steve followed, trying to look calm and nonchalant as he ducked his head, passing people who could recognize him. He did not want that, not now. He wove his way through a group of school children on a class trip and slipped into the American Wing. He stuck to the outside wall acting like he was looking at the paintings, but in reality he was scanning the area for the person following them. He rounded the wall and suddenly someone was behind him.

"Do not turn around." The man stepped to Steve's side, looking like he was admiring the large painting on the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Steve whispered harshly.

"Looking for you. Where is the woman?"

"She's looking at the Egyptian art by now. You shouldn't be out in public. The government is still looking for you."

"Don't you think I know that?" the man spat in a low voice. "I'm tired of hiding. I'm tired of being a pawn."

"What are you saying?" Steve fought the urge to grab the man by the collar and shake him.

"I'm saying that you know me and you know that 'persona' is not me. I want to work with you again."

"They won't like it… especially because of what happened a few years ago…"

"Meet me tonight." The man slipped him a card. "We need to talk."

"I can't just… I'm here with…."

"Your woman is coming. Come alone to that address."

Steve looked at the card. Scrawled on the back of a Met card was an address in a very seedy part of the city. "I can't just…" He turned but the man was gone, and standing in his place was Taryn.

"Steve? I thought you were going to meet me in the Egyptian…"

"Oh, yes, sorry. I thought I saw someone I knew… but I didn't." Before she could ask any more questions, he whisked her out. "How about some lunch? Shall we head up to the Petrie Court, or should we go back to the hotel?"

"Ah… the Court is fine…"

"Okay good. I'm starving."

Taryn looked at him, knowing something had either startled him, or had something unexpected happen… _Did_ he find someone he knew?


	15. Chapter 15 - Winter's Return

_**Chapter 15**_

 _ **Winter's Return**_

After lunch, they took a walk through Central park and made their way back to the hotel for dinner. Steve suggested ordering room service as he stated he just wanted to relax and be alone with her.

Taryn acquiesced, and they ordered a lavish meal complete with a rather expensive bottle of wine. Steve prattled on about pieces he saw in the museum but Taryn could sense he was out of sorts. She finished the meal, took her glass of wine and went over to sit on his lap.

He smiled up at her. "Are you okay, Steve? You've not been yourself since we left the museum."

Steve set his own glass down and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm fine. I just thought I saw something… someone I once knew… It just threw me."

Taryn hugged him, knowing that wasn't the full story but gave him time. "I understand. So why don't we try to take your mind off it, hmm?" She dipped her finger into some whipped cream still on the dessert plate and touched his lips. She leaned in and seductively licked them, then pressed hers to his kissing him slowly.

Taryn stood, removing her jacket and sitting back down, straddling his lap. She grinned down at him and he began to unbutton her blouse. He pulled it open and slipped it from her shoulders. He delicately ran his hands along her shoulder, arms and back. Steve leaned in and kissed her throat and her shoulders.

Her head fell back and Steve ran his lips along her collar bone, her shoulder and down to the swell of her breasts. He cupped her breast in his hands and ran his thumbs over the lacy fabric. Taryn sighed, arching her back and holding onto his arms.

This afternoon's events were driven into the back of his mind as he reached behind her to unclasp her bra. He removed it, dropping it on the floor beside her blouse. He pulled her close and kissed her, their tongues dueling. His hands wrapped around to her breasts again and he placed a line of kisses down her chest to tease the hardened flesh, dark pink in his hands.

Taryn moaned, running her fingers through his hair. He teased her with his tongue and teeth, then gripped her bottom firmly and stood. She wrapped her legs around him tightly and he strode to the bedroom. He turned and pressed her up against the wall and kissed her vehemently. He held her hands above her head and she could feel him hard against her and wanted him even more.

Taryn dropped her legs and he released her hands. She unzipped his jeans and pushed them off his hips. He relieved her of her pants as well, then they moved to the bed. His hands roamed her body, his lips trailed kisses everywhere. Rogers soon settled between her thighs and made love to her slowly, deliberately for hours. Taryn held him tightly, the feeling of concern replaced by desire. Hours later, when they were sated, they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Steve woke at two in the morning. Slipping out of bed, he dressed quickly in the bathroom, looked back at Taryn, and left the room. Taryn's eyes flew open and she rushed to dress herself. She grabbed her shoulder holster out of a hidden compartment in her purse and left the room moments after him. She could still feel his presence nearby and as she exited the hotel, she saw him get into a cab. Flagging down the next one, she asked the driver to follow.

"But not too close."

The driver looked in the rear view mirror. "You chasing your husband?"

"Something like that. Don't lose them and there's an extra fifty in it for you."

"You got it, Lady"

Steve's cab pulled up in front of a very large, very run down tenement. He paid the cabbie, looked about and entered the building. Taryn told her driver to stop a number of car lengths back and she paid him and opened the door."

"You sure you wanna be here Lady? This ain't the greatest neighborhood."

"I'm sure. I can take care of myself, thanks."

"You need me to wait for ya?"

She shook her head. "No, thank you. Go on home."

He nodded and she watched him drive off. Taryn made her way to the building, following the sense of where Steve had been. She took the stairs up to the fourth floor, feeling this is where he stopped climbing the steps. Taryn opened the stair well door and poked her head out. She could hear the sound of a TV and some music in the background. She walked down the hall walked past a door then froze. She turned around and went back to the door and knew Steve was behind the door. Taryn could hear his voice and someone else. Taryn took a deep breath and drew her gun.

"How long have you been here?" Steve asked, pacing the room.

The man ran his hand through his dark hair. "About a year. Since I was able to get away from HYDRA."

"How did you regain your memories?"

He shook his head. "It just came back over time. The last time we fought… it started coming back. Then HYDRA got to me again, tried wiping my brain again…."

"Why didn't you try to contact me before?"

The man chuckled. "You're a hard man to find despite all the articles and interviews. It seems like your woman takes up a lot of your time."

"She has a name, you know."

"I know, I've read about it. So she's really all that? I can't believe you're engaged."

"What, never thought I'd find a woman?"

He shrugged. "Well, back in the day you were a bit of a runt."

"Hey, watch it…."

The man raised his hand to silence Steve. "There is someone at the door."

Taryn could hear them talking. So Steve _did_ run into someone he knew… why would he lie about that? She used her mind to unlock the door and she swung it open, drew her gun and pointed it at the tall, dark haired man in the middle of the room.

The man followed suit drawing his own weapon. Steve swung around and was shocked to see Taryn. "Woah, woah! Come on now…"

"Drop the weapon," Taryn ordered.

He grinned. "You first."

"Both of you, lower the guns, now," ordered Steve stepping between them.

"I am not lowering my weapon in the presence of the Winter Solder. And what the fuck are you doing here, Steve?!"

"I am no longer that name," said the man, still pointing his gun at Taryn's head.

Steve stepped up to her. "Please, just lower the weapon and we'll talk. You have nothing to fear from him."

She glared at him. "No? Did he happen to tell you he was hired to kill me once? Did he tell you that?!"

Steve placed his hand on hers. "Please, Taryn. We all need to talk."

Frustrated and fuming mad, she dropped her hand. "Fine. But this better be damn good because I am not putting this away."

The dark haired man final dropped his hand, tucking the gun in the back of his pants. He walked over to the door, past Taryn, brushed her shoulder and locked the door behind her. "Now that we're all civil, let's have a seat."

Steve touched her arm to lead her to a chair and she glared daggers at him. "I prefer to stand, thank you."

Steve had never seen her this angry at him before. He supposed he deserved it… he did lie to her… Steve cleared his throat. "Taryn this is…"

"I know who the hell this is…"

"No you don't!" yelled the man in her face.

"Bucky! Just back off and let me talk to her… Taryn, I know you know him as the Winter Soldier. I myself fought him several years ago when he was still under HYDRA control. But he's regained himself… His name is James Buchanan Barnes. He and I grew up together in Brooklyn… fought together in the War. I thought I lost Bucky during a mission against HYDRA."

Barnes continued his explanation. "But I was found by HYDRA. They turned me into their own super solder… gave me this… arm… training, and brainwashing. They wiped my mind to make them their own soldier. So that I would do their bidding without question. And when I did question, they wiped my mind again and again. After I met up again with Rogers and the Black Widow and fought them… I regained a sense of myself. HYDRA found me and tried again to wipe my mind, but I escaped… ran for the next few years. The time has come to be on the right side again."

Taryn piped in. "What makes you think that SHIELD or any of the Avengers will want to trust you?"

"Because _I_ do," said Steve. "I trusted him with my life then and I trust him now."

"What about me, Steve? I thought you trusted me too? You couldn't trust me enough to tell me about this?! Was this entire weekend just a ploy to get down here and meet him?!"

"What? No! I had no idea he was here until yesterday!"

"Yeah, okay well you know what? I've heard enough. I'm going back to the hotel and pack. You can do whatever the hell you want." Taryn turned to get the door and Barnes came up behind her and held the door closed with his prosthetic arm. She scowled at him. "Please move."

"Sorry Sweetheart. We're not done here…"

She raised a brow, mentally amping up her shields. "Oh really? You sure you want to do this?"

Steve stepped between them again. "Knock it off, the two of you. For this to work, you both need to work together."

Barnes backed off, removing his hand from the door. "How do you handle her? She's a feisty one…"

"Ah, standing right here! And for the record I do have a name."

Barnes held his hands up and smirked. "Okay, okay. _Agent Taryn McKenna_."

Taryn folded her arms in front of her indignantly. Steve led her over to the other side of the room.

"Taryn, I'm sorry I didn't tell you what was going on. I had to come and find out what he needed. He's been my friend since the beginning, Taryn… I tried to help him once before, but HYDRA had him too much under their control."

His blue eyes pleaded with her, but she was still angry that he felt he couldn't confide in her. "So what do you intend on doing with him then?"

"Give him a chance. After all he's been through, he deserves one."

Taryn stood shaking her head. "I… I dunno… I need time to think about this."

"Fair enough. Just give us a few minutes, okay?"

She sighed heavily. "Fine."

Steve nodded and walked back over to Barnes. "Look. I know you can't come with us now. Just keep yourself safe and we'll figure something out."

Barnes nodded. "Thanks. I knew I could come to you."

"Always," Steve replied and they hugged like brothers. "Take my number and when you think you're ready, let me know."

Barnes nodded then turned to Taryn. "It was nice to finally meet the woman who stole his heart."

"Thanks," she managed to say as she headed for the door. On her way down the stairs, she called for a cab and stood outside waiting for it.

Steve said his good byes, happy to know that his best friend was still safe and away from HYDRA. He hoped that would last until he could come to SHIELD. They shook hands again and Bucky smiled. "I'm happy you met a woman who can put up with you."

Steve chuckled and punched him in the arm. "Keep safe."

"You too. Invite me to the wedding."

Steve found Taryn pacing up and down the sidewalk waiting for a cab. "Taryn, I…"

She raised her hand. "Just… don't…."

He sighed and stuck his hands in his pockets and waited quietly for the cab. When it arrived they got in, and Taryn was silent on the ride back to the hotel. Steve fidgeted on the seat and wanted to desperately break the silence in the elevator on the way up to the room. Taryn grabbed her bag as soon as Steve shut the door and started throwing her things in.

"Taryn, please. Don't do this. Let's talk about this…"

She threw her bag into a chair. "No. I'm not in the mood to talk. You couldn't be bothered to talk about this to me so forget it. I need to get out of here."

"Taryn, I'm sorry…. Please just let me explain…"

"You should have thought of that earlier today instead of lying to me." She threw her last items into the bag and headed for the door and he grabbed her arm.

"I know, and I was wrong. Please don't go."

Taryn dropped her head, sensing his sincerity. "Okay, so spill it. Why didn't you tell me? Why did you feel the need to lie to me? I'm your fiancée… your girl… or at least I thought I was…"

Steve took the bag out of her hand and set it down, then led her over to the couch. "You _are_ my girl. And I want nothing more than to marry you. I meant it then, I mean it now." He dropped his head. "Bucky… that was his nickname from day one… We grew up together in Brooklyn. I was always smaller than everyone else, and he stood up for me. We were buddies, pals… like brothers. I tried everything I could to get into the service. When I saw him all suited up and ready to go, I was desperate. That's when Doctor Erskine offered me the chance to be who I am today."

He took Taryn's hand. "I rescued Bucky from the Nazi's… from the Red Skull. We were on a mission together and he was shot out of a train… he fell hundreds of feet. I thought he was gone forever… Needless to say I was in shock when I saw him as the Winter Solder. I know he was an assassin for HYDRA. But that wasn't him… that was the brainwashing. He's getting to be more himself now…"

Taryn sighed. "He was assigned to kill me six years ago when I got a little to close undercover at a small HYDRA operation. I don't know if I can trust him…"

"I understand, but you need to understand he isn't the same man."

"It's just an awful lot to process, Steve. I need to… I need sleep… I'm going to bed." She got up and walked into the bedroom and closed the door. She put on her pajamas, got into bed and cried herself to sleep.

Steve watched the door closed and flopped back onto the couch. He'd really screwed things up, didn't he? Would she ever forgive him? She hoped so, but he thought it best he may want to sleep on the couch tonight…


	16. Chapter 16 - Not in Kansas Anymore

_**Chapter 16**_

 _ **Not In Kansas Anymore…**_

Taryn woke before the sunrise and sat up in bed, alone. Steve must have slept on the couch last night. She kind of felt bad about that, then thought 'sorry, not sorry.' She was frustrated that he hadn't confided in her, but her anger had subsided. He must have had breakfast delivered again; she could smell bacon and coffee. She donned her cotton robe and went out into the living room.

Steve hadn't slept well on the couch but was starving, so he ordered room service and hoped she would wake soon so they could talk. He heard the bedroom door open and Taryn stepped out in a robe and tousled hair. "Hey," he called softly.

She stood by the table. "Hey. Can I join you?"

"Of course."

She sat beside him at the small glass table and served herself and he poured her some coffee. "I want to apologize for last night."

"No," Steve said, placing his hand on hers. "I should have told you what was going on from the start. I'm sorry I lied to you. I just knew how you would see him as the Winter Solder that I just thought that…"

"That I would react exactly how I reacted?"

Steve chuckled, "Yeah, I guess so. You have to understand, Taryn. He was there for me when I lost both my dad and mom. He's always been there for me…"

Taryn looked up into his eyes. "You blame yourself for him becoming the Winter Solder."

Steve sighed and sat back in the chair. "It was my fault he was on that mission. He got blown off that train… he was hanging on and I just couldn't get to him in time…"

Taryn could see him reliving the images in in head and tears were in his eyes. "Steve. It was his choice to follow you on that mission. You didn't force him. You didn't order him. He volunteered, correct?"

"Yes, but it was my leadership that…."

"Your leadership is what caused you to singlehandedly stop the Red Skull and a nuclear war. Don't blame yourself for what HYDRA did."

Steve nodded slowly. "I know… I'm grateful he's safe. I just hope he comes to us soon and HYDRA doesn't find him again."

I hope he's as trustworthy as you think, she said to herself, drinking her coffee. They ate quietly, neither saying much.

Steve set down his coffee cup. "So, since yesterday got kind of hijacked…. What would you like to do today?"

She stuffed a piece of bacon in her mouth. "Well, I already have my dress. What about a suit for you? That is, if you still want to get married."

"Of course I do. I haven't changed my mind about that…. So, I did have a thought about what to wear, actually. But you need to let me know if it's too kitschy…"

She raised a brow, almost worried about what he was thinking. "Oookay, what did you have in mind?"

"Well, you have your 1940s ring… and most men who were in the service wear their dress uniform when they get married. What if I wore my dress uniform?"

"From the '40s? It's in storage somewhere?"

"No…. I'd have to have one made, if we had time…." Steve watched her face as she thought about it and a smile spread across her face.

"Steve I think that's a wonderful idea! You would look so handsome… Well perhaps we can go to a tailor in the city and see if it's something they can do?"

"So... you're not against the idea?"

"Not at all! I'd love to see that. I'll get dressed then we can do a search online to see who we can visit today."

So they searched the internet, found a few promising leads and got ready to go out. The first tailor told them he wouldn't be able to do something for them until about a year from then. The second was so high end that they didn't even want to discuss a military type uniform. The two went to lunch and had one more place to visit before heading back to the SHIELD compound.

The two opted for a deli and sat toward the back in hopes of avoiding the paparazzi that had plagued them that day. "Do you think we'll find something?"

"I hope so," replied Taryn. "I think it's a great idea and I know you'll look very handsome."

Steve felt his cheeks redden and he smiled his lopsided smile at her. "We'd better get moving if we want to make the appointment."

After they returned to the hotel, Steve loaded up the bags and Taryn made herself comfortable in the passenger seat and they made their way to the highway to head back to the SHIELD compound. They chatted about the weekend, about Barnes and when Steve thought he might come to SHIELD. Suddenly a blinding flash of light appeared on the horizon.

"What the hell?!" Taryn reached out with her mind ahead of them on the road and felt panic and injury.

Abruptly, Steve threw his arm across Taryn and shouted, "Brace yourself!"

Her eyes flew open and she could see a wave of energy barreling down on them. Cars were tossed around like toys on a playground. Taryn felt the SUV lift up off the ground and fly backwards, tumbling end over end. She threw up her shields around herself and Steve and the two almost floated independently in the cabin of the vehicle as it flipped around them. They finally landed after crashing end over end, coming to a screeching halt on its hood. Taryn was sweating profusely, but relaxed a little knowing they had stopped moving.

"Steve?"

"I'm okay. You?"

"I'm okay. I smell gas though. We need to get out."

Between Steve's strength and Taryn's telekinesis, they popped the doors off and crawled out with their bags. They gathered their wits and belongings and got away from the SUV. Sitting down on the grassy shoulder of the highway, they checked themselves over, then surveyed the scene. Cars were all over both lanes of traffic, strewn about on their sides, roofs and in ditches. People were crawling out when they could. Taryn and Steve set out to help people when another explosion rocked the ground. Another blast of energy surged toward them. Steve grabbed Taryn and they crouched down. She brought her strongest shielding around them as the wave hit and she could feel herself losing control, and then the world went black.

Taryn could hear nothing. The world around her was silent. She could feel the wet grass beneath her, on her cheek. The dampness soaked into her hair. Where was she? She opened her eyes slowly, blinking at the brightness. She found herself laying on the grass at the edge of the tree line. She sat up gingerly and looked for Steve. Taryn saw him five feet away from her on his back. She mentally assessed herself. Nothing broken. McKenna then made her way over to him and sat beside him.

"Steve? Steve can you hear me?" She scanned him and sensed no broken bones either.

"Taryn?" His eyes opened and fixed on hers. "What the hell happened?"

"That last pulse must have knocked us out. We were more exposed to it than the first one."

He nodded and looked around. His duffle bag and her case were nearby. They retrieved them and made their way up the small hill to the road. Only, there was no road. No cars, no traffic. Nothing for miles. They stood on a hill and saw farmland, trees and what looked like a small group of houses in the distance.

"What the hell?!" Steve looked around. "Don't tell me we got knocked into the past again?"

Taryn scanned the landscape then looked up to the sky to bet her bearings. And she nearly fell over. Unless she had a concussion, she should not be seeing two moons in the sky…

"Uh…. Steve? I don't think we're in Kansas anymore…"

"What are you…" Then he looked where she was looking. "Oh my God… where the hell are we?"

"I have no idea. But I think we ought to try to head to that group of homes… maybe there's someone there that can tell us at least where we are..."

Steve sighed and nodded then slung his duffle over his shoulder. Taryn grabbed her bag and they headed off down the hill. "How do we get into these situations, anyway," Steve semi-joked as they made their way around a farmer's field.

Taryn chuckled. "We're just that lucky I guess."

As they approached the first house, it reminded Taryn of the middle ages. Taryn looked around, seeing the homes of wood and stone. "God this looks like something out of Skyrim…" She saw Steve look at her quizzically. "It's a video game. Fantasy, dragons, swords…"  
"Hmm… great." He inadvertently looked at the sky.

Taryn advanced to the first door and knocked. They waited a moment, but no answer. Moving on, they tried three more homes, but they were unoccupied at the moment. Then she noticed someone working out in their garden. Taryn released a shield that emitted warmth and calm and approached the person.

"Excuse me?"

They young man jumped and stared at them wide eyed.

"Do you speak Eng…" no, that was dumb. You're on another planet, who knows what they speak here…

He said something and backed away. Taryn put up her hands and extended the shield. "It's okay," she replied calmly. "Where are we?" She gestured around to try and convey what she was saying.

The young man calmed down a bit and talked slowly. He pointed to the ground and said something."

"Vana?" Taryn said.

He shook his head and repeated it, slowly. "Van-a-heim."

"Vanaheim?" said Steve. "What is that?"

"I think that's where we are." Taryn turned back to the man. "This world is Vanaheim?"

He nodded and spread his arms wide, looking around. "Ja, Vanaheim."

"That sounds familiar," said Steve.

Taryn nodded. "Thank you," she clasped her hands before her and bowed slightly. She then drew in the dirt the question of whether or not there was a larger city or town nearby. By some miracle, he understood what she was looking for and pointed down the road. He gave them rough directions and she heard him mention the word Troll. That was foreboding, she thought.

They said their thank yous and goodbyes and the young man provided them some food from his garden and headed off down the road. They were silent for a while until Taryn stopped in her tracks.

"Vanaheim."

"Yeah, it sounded familiar to me too, but I can't place it."

She looked at him. "Vanaheim is one of the nine realms."

Steve shrugged. "And?"

"Thor belongs to one of those realms – Asgard."

"Oh! But how do we contact him?"

"I have no idea. Let's just get to a city or town and go from there."


	17. Chapter 17 A Rock and a Hard Place

_**Chapter 17**_

 _ **A Rock and a Hard Place**_

Sam Wilson ran into Natasha Romanoff in a hallway in the SHIELD compound. "Hey, have you heard from Steve at all?"

She shook her head. "No. I know he and Taryn went into the city this weekend for wedding stuff. Why?"

"I just tried calling his cell and kept getting an out of area message."

"Hmm, that's odd." Tasha then tried his phone and after, Taryn's. "I'm getting the same message from both. Let's see if we can trace the SUV."

They made their way to a computer room and Tasha sat down to run a tracer on the vehicle. They located it not far from the compound, stationary on the highway. Deciding it was necessary to investigate, Tasha and Sam made their way to the location.

By the time they arrived, police, tow trucks and ambulances were pulling away. She flashed her badge at a policeman and asked what had happened.

"Some sort of explosion. Two actually. Tumbled vehicles end over end…"

She asked about their SUV and it was waiting to be loaded onto a flatbed. The roof was caved in and the paint scraped like it had slid for more than a few feet. The doors were blown. Taryn must have done that. Tasha searched the cabin but found no trace of them, not even their bags. Sam asked the police about Steve and Taryn, but he said there was no one that had matched their descriptions. He suggested trying the two local hospitals.

Taryn sat herself on a boulder and knocked the dust and dirt out of her hiking boots. At least they were comfortable, but the 'road' they walked on was rough. She found some water bottles in her bag and handed Steve one, and doled out whatever fruit the villager had handed them. She took a bite of it and it tasted a bit like an apple. "It's not much, but it's good."

Steve nodded and took a swig of water. "Thanks," he replied and wolfed down the fruit. "How much longer do you think we have to go?'

Taryn closed her eyes and stretched her mind out, searching for signs of life. "I sense perhaps a community ahead. Maybe about a mile?"

He nodded and the two headed off down the road again. A little while later, she could see smoke rising from chimneys. As they approached, she could hear shouts and metal hitting metal. They broke into a run and saw a huge creature that looked like it was made of boulders swinging some sort of club at a group of men. Neither Taryn nor Steve had any weapons that would fare against rock, but ran to help anyway. Taryn saw another creature head toward a home. She heard crying coming from the house.

"Steve! There's someone in there!"

He nodded and went into the home with her. "Upstairs!" she shouted as a giant club came down on the corner of the roof. They found a family of three huddled in a corner of a bedroom. Taryn extended her shields around them all as Steve ushered them out.

The woman still seemed frantic. Taryn sensed another presence in the house, so she ran back upstairs. Using her mind, she found a little girl crying behind her bed. Extending her shield, Taryn moved the bed with her mind and reached for the girl.

"Come on, Sweetie, let's get you to your mother." She picked her up and out her arms around her, strengthened her shield and braced herself for what she sensed was coming…

Steve got the family outside and away from the rock creature. The husband kept the wife from running back into the house as the creature took an enormous swing and the rest of the roof caved in. Steve prayed that Taryn had her shielding up.

Taryn anticipated the cave-in so she held the girl tightly. "Shhh, it's okay. We'll be okay…" Taryn could feel the building pressing down on her shields and she increased the power to them. She slowly worked to push the debris off and braced herself one more time for another blow to the ruined roof.

Steve left the family and ran over to the creature. He also got the attention of several men who were toting weapons. They rushed the creature and twenty minutes later, it was debris on the ground. Steve was a bit battered, but ran back to the front of the house.

"Taryn?! Taryn can you hear me?"

Taryn breathed slowly trying to create a cocoon of wellbeing around them to try and calm the little girl. She finally stopped crying and was staring up at Taryn with big blue eyes. Taryn smiled and began to move forward toward an outside wall of the ruined house. Using her shielding to tunnel ahead of them, she could eventually see daylight and hear Steve's voice.

"We're okay," she called. "Just move away from the wall, we're coming through!" And with a burst of energy she blew the remains of the home off of them and crawled out. Steve had stepped back and shielded his eyes from the flying wood and stone. He saw Taryn crawling out with a little girl in her arms and he ran over to help them.

"Are you alright?" he asked, helping her with the little one.

"I'm okay. And so is she, aren't you?" Taryn smiled and brushed hair from the little girl's eyes. They then made their way over to the family.

The mother came running and Taryn held her daughter out to her. She scooped her up and then pulled Taryn into a crushing hug as well. "Ooof… you're welcome. Glad we could help." The father came over and embraced her and Steve as well.

"We should see if we can help tend to the injured," replied Taryn when they released them. They went and did what they could and the inhabitants were in awe of Taryn's abilities and Steve's strength. Taryn caught the word Asgard a few times, but did not understand the rest. When they finished, they were approached by someone Taryn thought must have been an authority figure.

"Thank you," he said plainly.

Taryn's eyes widened. "You speak our language?"

He nodded. "A bit. I have traveled with a few from the Nine Realms who do. Thank you for your help, strangers. We owe you a great debt."

Steve waived his hand. "We're glad we could help."

"You are not from our realm. Where to you hail from?'

"What you call Midgard," Taryn replied.

"Ah yes, I have heard of it." The large man scratched at his imposing beard. "How did you get here?"

Steve shook his head, "We've no idea."

The man nodded. "Well, come. You must stay the evening. It is getting late in the day and it is not safe to travel at night."

Seeing that they didn't have much choice, they agreed and followed the man to a large home in the center of town. The man introduced himself as Geirolf and he was considered the town's leader. He offered them a bath and fresh clothing and they took him up on the suggestion.

Taryn cleaned up first, washing the road dirt and house debris off her skin and hair. One of the younger girls in the house brought her a linen dress and embroidered coat to put on, and took her regular clothes away to wash. She dried herself off and dressed and came out of the room to find Steve being fawned over by several young women.

He was clearly embarrassed and uncomfortable and jumped up, nearly running to her. "There you are!"

She smirked. "Getting some attention, are we?"

"Er… I… ah…"

"Well you are awfully handsome no matter where we are. I can't blame them." She kissed him lightly and the girls were visibly disappointed.

Taryn laughed and hugged him. Just then, Geirolf entered and advised them that dinner was served. They followed him out to a large banquet hall filled with people. Geirolf introduced them and a cheer rose up in the hall.

They sat to eat and conversed with Geirolf. "I have sent word to a friend that you are here. We shall try to get you to Asgard to have Heimdall send you back to Midgard."

"Thank you for that and for your generosity. It is greatly appreciated," stated Steve.

"Think nothing of it. You helped our people when you had no reason to."

It was late when they retired to the quarters they were given. Taryn flopped down on the soft bed covered with furs. "I'm exhausted."

"I'll bet. It's been a long day and you expended a lot of energy. What you did for that family…"

Taryn smiled. "I'm just glad I was able to save the little girl." She crawled beneath the covers and sat up against the headboard. "We've had some luck in getting sent to odd places, haven't we?" she said half-jokingly.

He slipped under the bedcovers next to her. "We certainly have. It must be you," he joked. "I've never had anything like this happen to me before."

She playfully hit his arm. "Yeah, okay Mister Frozen-in-the-ice-and-thawed-out-seventy-years-later."

He laughed. "Okay, well maybe that one time before I met you."

She stuck her tongue out at him and lay down. Steve pulled her close and held her. "We'll get home eventually. Just have to take things in stride."

As Taryn slept, her dreams were vivid. Her mind replayed the afternoon's events with the rock trolls. But she noticed something that she hadn't at the time. A man. He stood apart from the others, close to the tree line, observing, watching.

Taryn froze the image in her mind and focused closer on the man. She did not know him. Tall, dark hair, handsome in a sinister sort of way. Even though the image was frozen, his eyes blinked and he looked directly at her and smiled – if you could call it that. Her skin crawled a bit…. Suddenly he stepped forward and she felt herself struggling to wake. She panicked and it felt like she was falling. She woke with a start and her eyes flew open. For a moment it looked like someone was standing in the corner of the room. "Interesting," she thought she heard. She blinked and it was gone.

Taryn sat up, clinging to the blanket. She felt chilled but was sweating. That dream did not sit well with her at all, but at least she hadn't woken Steve. She lay back down and closed her eyes, erratically dreaming and restless until morning.

Light soon filled the room and Steve stirred and woke. He was surprised to find Taryn awake and sitting in a chair across the room. "Hey… you okay?"

She sighed. "No. I didn't sleep well. I kept having a recurring … dream… nightmare… I'm not sure which…"

Steve motioned for her to come back to the bed and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry. Hopefully we'll be home soon."


	18. Chapter 18 - Trickster

_**Chapter 18**_

 _ **Trickster**_

Later that day, Steve and Taryn received word that Geirolf's acquaintance was at the next town over, and the two were to meet him there. "His name is Agdar. He will meet you in the marketplace there."

Taryn and Steve left their gifted clothing on as to blend in a bit, and packed their 'Midgard' clothing in their bags and concealed them as best they could. They packed some food, bid farewell and made their way down the road to the next town after Geirolf had told them of Agdar's description.

"Hopefully no more rock trolls," Taryn said, sending mental feelers out as they walked.

"Agreed," Steve said quietly, looking about. They walked for about an hour before they came upon the next town.

Geirolf had explained that Agdar was a great blacksmith who travelled about from town to town and even on occasion, Asgard, for work. Hence, he should be able to provide passage to Heimdall.

The two wandered about the town, blending in as best they could, looking out for someone meeting Agdar's description. Steve stopped and pointed, "Look, there's the blacksmith shop."

As they approached, Taryn began to feel uneasy. She had the same feeling in her dream. She grabbed Steve's arm. "This doesn't feel right. It feels like my dream…"

Steve trusted her instincts enough to know that she was definitely concerned about something. 'What is it?"

"I don't think whoever is waiting for us at the blacksmith shop is here to help us…"

"Do you think Geirolf was trying to set us up for something?"

"I didn't sense any ill intentions from him at all…" Her eyes flashed toward the blacksmith shop as someone stepped outside, looking around. "C'mon. We need to get back to Geirolf and see if he can find out what is going on."

Steve took Taryn's hand and led her back through an alley that led to an outside gate. They passed through the gate and thought they were in the clear until Taryn stopped dead. The large man from the shop rounded the corner of an out building and smiled. Taryn threw up her shield around herself and Steve. "What do you want? Who are you?"

The man stepped closer, looking around her as if he could see her shield. "The question is, who are you?" He reached out and tapped at the shield. "Your powers intrigue me."

Steve felt something familiar about the man… his mannerisms… his voice.

"What powers?" she played dumb.

The man shook his head. "Ignorance does not become you. I should like to observe these powers a bit more closely…"

Steve stepped in front of Taryn. "Stay away from her."

The man chuckled. "Always the hero. Where is your shield, Hero?"

Taryn gasped. He knew Steve? But how?"

Steve glared at the man and it suddenly came to him. "Loki."

Taryn's eyes flashed from his to Steve's. Unexpectedly, the man's image shimmered and was replaced by a tall, dark haired man. It was the man from her dream. The one who had been watching her with his dark eyes and menacing smile.

The man bowed arrogantly. "So pleased you remember me. Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"No. Stay away from her. We're just trying to get home."

"Hmm… yes, back to Midgard… Earth…"

"Did you have anything to do with us getting here, Loki?!" Steve spat.

Loki laughed. "Not a thing… just a happy coincidence from an unexpected burst of energy from the realms."

"Did you cause that? Do you know how many people were injured…"

"Save it," said Steve. "Loki doesn't care. He only cares about his own interests."

Loki stepped closer. "You're right, you know. And I am very interested in her." He turned to her. "Are you human?"

Taryn glared at him and did not answer. "Just let us pass."

"Hmm… I think not. Perhaps if we had more comfortable surroundings." Loki stepped forward and reached right through her shield to take her arm. Steve grabbed it away, landing a punch on Loki's jaw.

Loki straightened up and raised a brow, waived his arm and sent Steve flying against the out building.

"Steve!" Taryn shouted and tried to run to him, but Loki grabbed her arm. The last thing Rogers remembered was seeing Taryn struggle against Loki's grasp, and then disappearing in a plume of green smoke with him.

Sam and Tasha checked the area hospitals and even the morgue, but there was no sign of McKenna or Rogers anywhere. They went back to the SHIELD compound and Tasha sat down at a computer to see if she could pull up some satellite photos of the area on the highway. She found a website that had time lapse images of the highway where the anomaly occurred and Tasha watched them frame by frame.

"This looks like what happens when Thor comes to Earth, but different somehow. More destructive. It usually doesn't cause a wave of energy like that."

Sam rubbed his chin. "Is there anyone who can tell us anything about it?"

Tasha thought for a moment. "I can think of two. Dr. Jane Foster and Dr. Erik Selvig. Both are experts when it comes to atmospheric and energy anomalies like this."

An hour later, Tasha got a hold of Selvig. He and Foster were both currently working on a project at an astrophysics department at a California university.

"Natasha! How are you?"

"I'm well, Erik. And you?"

"Things are good. But if you're calling me, they aren't at your end. What seems to be the problem?"

Tasha then launched into the situation, explaining the anomaly and asking Selvig to review his readings from that day and call her back.

"Do you think he'll come up with something?" asked Sam, sitting on the edge of the desk.

Tasha hung up. "I hope so, Sam. He's brilliant, so I hope so."

Steve woke to the feeling of being hauled to his feet. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Geirolf on one side of him, and his friend Agdar to the left.

"My friend," said Geirolf. "What has happened? Where is your lady?"

Steve struggled to focus. "I think…." Then it hit him. "Loki."

Agdar drew his breath sharply. "Loki? What would he want with you?"

"We're… acquainted…" He turned to Agdar and continued. "He was posing as you. Then he became himself again and took Taryn."

"Took her? Why did he take her?"

Steve ran his hands through his hair. "He seemed fascinated by her abilities. Acted like he'd never seen a human with powers… He has her, and I don't know where they are!"

Geirolf clasped him on the shoulder. "Do not worry, my friend. We will find your Taryn."

Agdar thought for a moment. "Perhaps we should head to Asgard. Maybe Heimdall can offer a clue."

They took Steve back to the blacksmith shop and checked him over for any injuries. Agdar's wife offered him water and he gratefully accepted. He was sick with worry for Taryn. Steve knew she was more than capable of taking care of herself, but against Loki? He had no qualms of taking a human life and when he tired of her, what would he do with her?

Geirolf clapped a hand on his Steve's shoulder. "Come, friend. We'll get you to Asgard, and perhaps together we can find her."

Steve smiled slightly. "Thank you…"

Agdar and Geirolf, along with a small party of men, made their way to the outskirts of town. Waiting in a field was a man that to Steve looked of Oriental descent. Geirolf stepped forward and clasped the man's hand.

"Hogun, my friend. I trust you are well?"

He nodded and smiled. "Well enough. Tell me, what is the trouble?"

Agdar stepped forward and gestured to Rogers. "This young man is from Midgard. He had an altercation with Loki and Loki has taken his woman."

Hogun raised a brow. Wasn't Loki dead? Or, ever the trickster, was he still lurking in the shadows? "Come. We will take you to see Thor."

Steve turned to Geirolf and Agdar. "Thank you both for your help."

"Good luck," Agdar smiled.

"When you find Taryn, come back and see us. You are both always welcome."

Steve nodded and stepped to Hogun's side. Hogun looked up and quietly said 'Heimdall' and a column of light and energy appeared and whisked them off through the ether.

It was cold and dark where Taryn was. She shivered and pulled the linen dress around her tightly. "Steve?" she called out, knowing that she would not receive an answer. It was just comforting to speak his name. Slowly, the events of her arrival came back to her. Loki. She didn't sense him at the moment, however. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and she extended her mind, searching the cavernous room. Taryn sensed two beings near… guards perhaps?

She sat back down on the one chair in the room, placing her head in her hands. How did she get herself into these situations? She knew going back to SHIELD and being an Avenger would call attention to herself and her abilities. She'd had her share of danger before she had retired and she began to doubt her decision to return…. Then again, if she hadn't, she may never have met Rogers.

Taryn sighed and fiddled with the ring on her finger. Maybe, since they were getting married, she ought to retire again, especially if they wanted to start a family… She couldn't risk being a target every time she turned around. The frustrating part was that she should have sensed it. But you did, her subconscious said to her. You led Steve away from town. You couldn't help that it was Loki. Loki…. What did he want with her? Was she just a specimen under a glass jar? What did Loki really intend on doing with her?

As if on cue, she sensed his presence. For lack of a better term, she felt him 'materialize' out of thin air and in a flash the room changed to brightly lit and opulently appointed. She felt warmth in the air and she relaxed her arms. She remained standing as he approached her and she instinctively put up her shields.

He stopped and smirked. "There's no need for that here."

She raised a brow. "If it's all the same to you, I'll keep it up."

He shrugged and walked around her. He reached out and brushed his hand against the shielding then stared at his fingers. "Fascinating."

Taryn folded her arms across her chest. "What do you want with me?"

He ignored her question, continuing to look her up and down. "You don't seem afraid of me. Are you a human?"

"Does it matter?"

He chuckled. "I've never seen a human like you. You don't reek of fear like most of them do. And you have these most interesting abilities… what else can you do?"

Inwardly she was terrified because she was fully aware of his reputation. But she continued to project her shield and an air of confidence. "I'm not a trained monkey and I don't perform on cue."

Loki moved in close and through her shield. "I can make you do anything I want." He moved his hand as if to get her to move her arms to her side, but she resisted. His eyebrow raised ever so slightly and he clenched his hand into a fist.

Taryn mustered her strength and pushed her shields outward and used her telekinesis to literally push him away from her. His shoes slipped on the floor as she pushed him back away from her.

"Quite impressive." He stepped away from her and looked her up and down. "I shall enjoy seeing all of what you can do."

She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to get a reading. He was enigmatic, but he definitely had some sort of agenda that she couldn't see. He waived his hand and banquet table appeared overladen with foods.

"But where are my manners. You must be hungry. Please, eat."

She _was_ hungry. Perhaps eating a bit would help her focus. She did need to keep her strength up…


	19. Chapter 19 - To The Bifrost

_**Chapter 19**_

 _ **To The Bifrost**_

Steve followed Hogun through the portal that led them to Asgard. He looked around in awe at the large dome around him and at the equally large man at the center standing with his hands on an enormous sword.

"Heimdall, where is Thor?"

Heimdall stood staring off into the distance. "He is in his room at the palace."

Hogun nodded and led Steve out and toward the sparkling city and turned to him as they walked. "We shall stick to the alleyways and side streets. We do not want to bring attention to you or why we are here. Loki could have eyes anywhere."

Steve nodded and followed him, keeping his head down and avoiding eye contact and soon they reached a lower point of the palace and entered through a discreet door. Hogun led him through the hallways to a large room he found occupied with two men and a woman.

They immediately took notice of the stranger with Hogun and Hogun raised a hand. "We are looking for Thor."

The large man with a great beard and something that looked like a turkey leg spoke up. "He went to his quarters for something."

Hogun nodded and turned to Steve. "Wait here. I will bring him."

Steve watched him leave and shifted from foot to foot as the three stared at him. Then the woman stepped around the table and approached him. "Who are you stranger? How do you know Thor?"

"Ah… well, we fought in the Battle of New York, on Earth... er Midgard among other things."

"Oh? So you are with the band of warriors, the Avengers?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes. I'm Steve. Captain Steve Rogers."

She nodded and clasped his hand. "Well met, Captain. I am Sif. That is Fandral and stuffing his face is Volstagg."

Volstagg nodded, still working on his meal. "What brings you to Asgard?"

Steve wasn't sure if he should relate the news to them when Thor entered the room, followed by Hogun. "It is alright, you can trust them."

Steve turned to Thor and smiled tiredly, clasping his hand. "Good to see you."

"And you, my friend. Tell us, why have you come?"

"To make a long story short, Taryn and I ended up in Vanaheim by accident, and Loki has kidnapped her."

They stared at him. Fandral spoke up. "We were told of Loki's death…"

Steve raised a brow. "Well, he isn't. And I'm sure that isn't the first lie he's perpetrated."

The Warriors Three looked at each other, and at Thor. Thor spoke first. "I cannot say that I am surprised to hear that Loki still lives. Though I am stunned to hear that he has taken your lady, Taryn. What does he want with her?"

"He kept saying he was intrigued by her powers."

"Hmm… her gifts are great. He may want to use those to his advantage. We must find them. We will go see Heimdall."

The group strode purposefully through the palace to Heimdall's observatory. Heimdall's tall frame turned to face the group and nodded to Thor.

"To what do I owe the honor?"

"We need you to see Loki. He lives and he has taken Steve's woman."

Heimdall nodded and turned back to the stars, staring out, scanning and searching. "I see them. They are in Niflheim," he stated plainly.

"Niflheim?" Steve asked.

Thor shook his head. "It is the home of the dead."

"I thought that was Valhalla…"

"Valhalla is where the great warriors go," stated Sif.

"Oh… so this Niflheim is for everyone else. But why would he go there?"

"Because no one would look for him there. The ice and mist shrouds much."

Taryn ate quietly, trying to make sure she kept her strength up. Loki kept offering her wine, but she refused, staying with water. She needed to stay sharp and didn't need the alcohol dulling her senses. She looked up from her meal and found him staring at her.

"Did you want to say something?" she asked, still remaining to keep her shields up.

"I would think that because of the powers you possess, you could rule where you choose."

Taryn chuckled at the thought. "Maybe once when I was a teenager. But I'm fulfilled knowing I am helping people."

"Bah!" He stood suddenly, taking long strides about the room. "What a waste!" Loki rushed at here, slamming his fists on the table. "You have such potential! There is much I can teach you…"

Taryn cut him off. "I do not need the likes of you as a teacher."

He waived a hand and the food disappeared. "I will not be denied. You will beg to use your powers for me when I am through with you." His face was now inches from hers. "And nothing, not even your precious Captain, can stop me." And Loki disappeared in a swirl of smoke. The room turned dark and cold again and immediately Taryn began to shake. She was a strong woman, self-assured and stubborn… but even she wasn't so sure she could stand against an Asgardian god. She made herself comfortable against the wall, in a corner and pulled her linens around her and tried to sleep. She would need her strength.

The party that assembled for Taryn's return had stopped for supplies and warmer clothing. Steve changed back into his earthly garments and donned warmer layers to ready himself. Back to the Bifrost, Heimdall sent them on to Niflheim where the mists roiled and swirled around the group's feet.

They were in a deep cave and Volstagg lit a torch and led the way out. "Stay close together. The dead largely ignore the living here, but there are those that are more active than others. New souls that don't quite realize they're dead."

Steve followed Volstagg closely and wished he had his shield. Sif had fitted him with an Asgardian one, but it wasn't quite the same. But at least it was something. They reached the mouth of the cave and glanced about. Shades and specters glided about, seemingly oblivious of their presence. The group crept their way around the spirits, making their way across the bleak landscape to a hill where Heimdall stated Loki was.

Suddenly, Steve heard something whiz by his ear and brought up his shield in time to block a spectral sword. He had expected it to go through him, but it struck the shield soundly. He pushed the spirit off him and before the sword could fall again, Thor struck it with his hammer and it dissipated. Steve nodded his thanks, and they continued.

As they approached the hill, they could now see a fortress atop, and figured that must be where Loki was holding Taryn. The group stopped at the base away from any more spirits and discussed a plan.

"We should split up. We would cover more ground that way," stated Steve, anxious to find Taryn and get out of there.

Thor nodded. "I agree. The Warriors Three will head up the West side of the hill, using the trees for cover. Lady Sif, Rogers and I will take this route, to the back of the fortress. We will search until we find Lady Taryn."

"Thank you. All of you," Steve stated humbly. "Stay safe."

Taryn woke, shivering. She rubbed her neck as it was stiff from leaning against the wall. She shifted her position and leaned her back against the wall, closing her eyes. Taryn slowed her breathing and slipped into a meditative state. She focused on positivity. She couldn't let herself slip into melancholy. Taryn allowed memories of Steve wash over her, bringing a smile to her face. His touch, his kiss, the scent of him filled her, allowing her to become centered. She reached out scanning the immediate area, then stretched out a bit further, scanning the areas section by section looking for a way out.

Taryn could sense corridors, doorways, staircases. There were beings about, but she wasn't sure what they were or if they were even alive. In her search she found a weak spot in a nearby wall. She slowly brought herself out of her meditation and rose to go examine the wall. She ran her hands along the rough stone surface until she felt a draft. Taryn pressed a loose stone and a section of the wall gave way. She scanned the area again, then dashed into the passage way, using her senses to light her path.

Her eyes were adjusting to the dark and could see a pinpoint of light up ahead. She reached the end of the passageway and discovered the light was coming from a hole in the outside wall. She looked out to see mist and ice and had no idea where she was. A commotion below caught her eye. She could see a small group of figures fighting in the mist below. Taryn continued to her left down the path until she came to a solid looking wall. She felt for a draft, found the loose stone and opened another passageway.

Taryn found herself in a corridor. She sensed a few beings down the hall way to her left, so she made her way to the right, and down a flight of stairs. She heard someone coming, so she ducked into an alcove while several …. She could only think of them like spirits as they headed up the staircase like scouts patrolling the area. Checking the corner she snuck around to another room. As she made her way along the outside wall she heard her name.

"Taryn?" The voice came closer. "Taryn are you here?"

"Steve?" She wanted to believe so badly it was him.

Suddenly Steve was running to her and swept her up in his arms. "Thank God I found you! Let's get you out of here."

She hugged him tightly and then her alarm bells went off. She pushed him away and narrowed her gaze. "How dare you! Get away from me!"

Steve looked at her questioningly. "Taryn, we've no time for this. We have to get you out of her before…"

She summoned up a ball of energy and threw it at him, hitting him square in the chest. "Get the hell away from me!"

Steve laughed a sinister laugh. "Clever girl. I did not think you would know." His image shimmered and was replaced by Loki.

Very angry now, Taryn seethed energy. "Of course I knew. I could sense it was not him."

He raised a brow, folding his arms across his chest. "That could come in very handy were you to ally yourself to me."

"Never, Loki," she spat. "I just want to go home."

"With your precious Captain? Ugh, honestly it's nauseating, really. He'll never find his way here, and if he did, he wouldn't survive the newly dead. They're still rather violent, you know."

Rogers dodged an axe swing and knocked his opponent in the head with his shield and it disappeared. Thor took out a few more with his hammer and they ran for an outbuilding nearer to the fortress and surveyed the grounds.

"It looks like there are two entrances from down here," said Sif.

"We have no idea where she's being held, though," whispered Steve.

"Then we will search the entire fortress," said Thor. He clasped a hand on Rogers' shoulder. "We will find her."

Steve, trying not to get emotional, simply nodded and followed him into the great building. Thor directed his small party through a door to find a narrow corridor and at the end, a larger hallway, with rooms opening up into it.

"Come," said the Asgardian. "We will start the search here." The group of three diligently searched the rooms, fighting lost souls and keeping clear of the strange guards posted throughout. The stronghold was massive – looking much larger on the inside than out. They cleared the lowest level, and made their way up a set of stone stairs to encounter another patrol of souls. Each level was like the next and it seemed never ending. As they battled their way through the next chamber, the Warriors Three entered the same room from the opposite direction. They cleared the space, then grouped for a status update.

"We have fought seemingly countless shades, but there has been no sign of Lady Taryn," said Hogun, shaking his head. "Perhaps she is not here?"

"Heimdall stated she was. He is never wrong," Sif stated.

"She _IS_ here, I can feel it," replied Steve, looking up into the levels above. He turned to the others. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true." Thor nodded and they continued upwards.

Thor directed his small group through a door to find a narrow corridor. Steve brought up the rear and glanced around hoping they could find Taryn and get the hell out of here. Thor reached the end of the hallway and it opened up into another area with rooms opening into it.

"Come," said the Asgardian. "We will continue the search here." They wandered about, diligently searching room after room, fighting lost souls and staying clear of the strange guards posted throughout. The fortress was massive – much larger on the inside than it looked on the outside.

Taryn continued her way around the upper hallways, looking for a way outside. Her senses were confused here. Sometimes hyper accurate, other times barely sensing a wall at the end of a dark corridor. Reaching another doorway, she opened it cautiously, finding herself on a high parapet.

"If only I could fly…" she thought looking down at the great distance between her and the ground. She sighed and turned back, finding another doorway to enter. Another bleak room. She needed to find some way down, and all she kept finding were staircases up. At last, Taryn find a small stone staircase hidden out of sight in the corner of a room. She dashed down several flights where the staircase opened into a large circular room. Taryn sensed nothing, but did not rely on that. Cautiously she made her way around the wall to another door when she suddenly felt him again.

"Going somewhere?"

"Damn it!" she swore. Loki was standing in the middle of the cavernous room. "As far away from you as possible!" Taryn dashed for the door only to have him appear before her in a flash of green light.

Loki grabbed her by the arms. "I could make you serve me, you know. Break you by destroying all you love…"

"Why? Why me? I'm just a human…"

"With extraordinary powers! Imagine commanding an entire army when you know what the enemy's next move is?! It's brilliant! No one could oppose me!"

"Not a chance, Loki," shouted someone from across the chamber.

Loki whirled around and Taryn was shocked to see Steve, Thor and a woman in armor. Taryn did not trust her eyes… Loki had tried to fool her before.

Loki let her arms go, exasperated. "Ugh. My dear brother… and Captain…ever the hero…." He spat the word like an insult.

"Steve?" Taryn barely whispered.

"Let her go, Loki," said Rogers stepping forward.

Loki grinned and produced a long dagger. "Do you want to see her bleed, Captain?" Loki grabbed Taryn's arm and held the dagger to her throat. "I could end her life so quickly. You could watch the life drain from her…"

Taryn did not struggle. Seeing Steve made her strangely calm. "After all you've gone through, you'd end it like this?"

Loki looked briefly shocked. "What?"

"You go through all this trouble to try and convince me to join you, and in one moment would end it all?"

Loki glared at her. "Are you saying you would stay…"

Taryn chuckled. "No, not at all. I would never stay. I'm just buying some time."

And with that, Rogers shot forward, plowing into Loki shield first. He flipped over the downed demi-god's prone body and Taryn leapt out of the way. Thor advanced on his brother, striking him in the chest with Mjolnir as he stood. Loki disappeared and reappeared behind Thor, punching him in the kidney and Thor retaliated with a hammer swing, blasting Loki across the room.

Steve turned and charged at Loki again and was caught up in hand to hand combat, punching, dodging, kicking. Suddenly Loki dove at him, grabbing Rogers around the neck and, producing his dagger again, thrust it into Steve's side.

Rogers dropped to one knee, clutching his side and looked up at Taryn. She remained calm… strangely so. Suddenly a gust of wind blew through the cavernous room and Taryn held her arms low at her sides. She stared at Loki who was laughing at Steve.

"See what your silly rescue has accomplished? At least you're already in hell – you won't have far to go when you die."

Taryn quickly assessed Steve's injury by mentally scanning him. Sensing the dagger had not pierced any vital organs, she closed her eyes, feeling her energy surge through her. This was over. She was done with this place, done with Loki. She would not see any more harm come to her lover and friends that day. A shield enveloped her, glowing brightly the larger it got. It then enveloped Steve and the others, slowly shoving Loki across the floor.

Loki tried to reach through it, but this shield was solid this time, and it was not dissipating. "What is this?" he questioned. "A last ditch effort to save yourself and your friends?"

Taryn opened her eyes that now glowed slightly with abundant energy. She approached Loki slowly and spoke in a voice sounding different that her own. "We are done here. I am going home. Do not come near me, or Steve again."

Loki raised a brow and laughed. "Or what, petty human?"

Taryn's hand shot out, grabbing him about the neck. She held up her right hand, balled into a fist that was glowing with power. She swung at him, hitting him in the chest with a blinding flash of light. Suddenly, Loki was propelled through the room, then through the outside wall in an enormous explosion. Taryn let out a heavy sigh, then collapsed on the tile floor. The building was shuddering and Steve could still feel the energy radiating from Taryn's prone form.

Thor ran over to them, "Come, we must leave while we can. I will take her. Go with Sif."

Steve nodded and Sif helped him stand. Thor scooped up Taryn and followed them out. The group met up with the Warriors Three at the cave entrance where they first emerged from. Steve was sore as hell, but he could hold his own, and Sif brought up the rear. The thunder god ran before them, clutching McKenna to him as he ran. Her arm dangled limply and her head lolled on his arm. Steve could see she had a bloodied nose – an after affect from expending so much energy.

No one stopped to check the crater that held Loki after the blast. They simply ran to the cave, and at the back of the space, called for Heimdall. The group disappeared in a large column of bright light.


	20. Chapter 20- Return to Reality

_**Chapter 20**_

 _ **Return to Reality**_

Erik Selvig pulled data from the anomalies and promptly flew out to New York to meet with Tasha and Sam. They brought them into the SHIELD compound and he presented the information he collected.

"Asgard? Are you sure?" Romanoff questioned him.

He looked at his computer, then at her. "Well, no, not one hundred percent. It is very similar to what we have seen when Thor comes to Midgard. However the signatures are slightly different." He pulled out a few star charts and laid them out. "It looks like there was a convergence of three out of the nine realms, Midgard, or our realm, being one of them. I'm not sure of the others, but I believe that is what caused that surge of energy that we detected. It was just enough of a convergence that it caused a volatile reaction. Luckily things like this don't happen very often."

Sam sat on the edge of the desk. "So if that energy surge happened… could it have sent Steve and Taryn to one of those realms?"

Erik looked excited. "Oh most definitely."

Tasha looked at Sam, then at Erik. "Then how do we get them back if it doesn't happen that often?"

Selvig looked at them thoughtfully. "I've no idea. But I have a few programs running to analyze the data from a few different angles."

The rescue party arrived back in the observatory and Thor rushed Taryn back to the palace and to their healers, who quickly set to work on her. Steve was ushered off for medical attention as well and he watched from across the room as they laid Taryn out on a bed and holographic images appeared around her, in part monitoring her vital signs.

Rogers sat as his wound was cleaned and dressed. He'd already begun to heal, so not much was required for the treatment. He gingerly pulled a fresh shirt on, hopped off the table and made his way to where Taryn lay. The attendant bustled around her then turned to him, smiling softly. "She will be fine, she just needs some rest. You look like you could use some as well. When did you last eat?"

Steve looked at her and couldn't remember. The woman smiled again. "Go and rest. I will let you know when she wakes."

Thor approached Rogers and clasped a hand on his shoulder. "She is in good hands. Come, let me show you where you can eat and rest."

Two hours later, Steve had eaten and fallen asleep on a huge pile of pillows near the balcony of a large room. Taryn, awake, had been offered a room to refresh in, and clean clothing. She admired herself in the mirror. The gown she wore was a sky blue silk-like material, embroidered intricately with gold and silver threads. She felt like a queen as she stepped into silver slippers and went to find Steve. Along the way, she ran into Thor, who smiled brightly.

"Lady Taryn! You look well. The Asgardian garments suit you!"

"Thank you Thor. I feel pretty good."

Anticipating her question, Thor directed her to where Steve was and then excused himself. Taryn made her way down the hall, marveling at the opulence of the palace. She'd only seen something like this in movies and the view from a side balcony took her breath away. Shining buildings, flying vehicles, sparkling water… this Asgard was something out of a dream. She could handle a vacation here for a while…

Taryn found Steve in a large room dotted with pillows, couches, lounges and food stations. He was curled up on a large pile of pillows snoring softly and she laughed. She settled herself near him, leaning against a wall to soak up the warm sun coming through the open air windows. Moments later, she heard him stir.

"Hey," she said with a smile.

"Hey," he replied groggily, momentarily forgetting where they were.

He reached down to touch his side, which was still a bit tender, but healing well. He shifted and rested his head on her thigh, smiling up at her. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good. Their healers can work wonders. How are you?"

"I'm good. Just a bit sore, but they can't do much with my constitution. It's speedy already."

Taryn smiled contentedly. "I could get used to laying around on pillows in gorgeous gowns…"

Rogers laughed. "I'll bet. It does look lovely on you. Of course, anything does."

She blushed. "Flatterer."

"Always." He sat up and placed his hand on her cheek. "I'm glad you're well. You expended a lot of energy. More than I've ever seen you do."

She nodded, placing her hand on his. "I'm just glad we got out of there. What a horrible, cold place." She shivered.

Steve smiled. "You're safe now." He kissed her softly at first, then she leaned in, passionately responding to him.

They embraced until Sif interrupted them. "Oh! I'm sorry. Thor was looking for you both…"

Taryn chuckled. "It's okay."

Sif continued, looking at the floor. "We're preparing a feast if you'd like to join…"

Steve stood, then pulled Taryn to her feet. "Shall we?"

After the enormous meal, and much drink, Thor offered them a well-appointed room for the night before returning home the next day. Taryn slept curled tightly against Steve all night fearing she would wake up and still be in the cold, damp room. She was relieved to find his warm, strong arms around him when she woke in the morning.

Steve leaned in and kissed her nose. "Good morning."

Taryn smiled. "Morning. I'm sorry if I was crowding you on the bed. I was kind of terrified of waking up in that cold room again…" She shivered involuntarily.

Rogers hugged her tightly. "Well, it's over and we can go home."

McKenna stretched and rose. Breakfast had been brought into a living area and they ate their fill before getting dressed to return to Midgard. Thor met them down the hall and led them to the Observatory. Waiting for them were the Warriors three and Sif.

Taryn smiled and embraced each and every one. "Thank you all so much for helping Steve find me."

Thor hugged her heartily. "Anything for you, Lady Taryn. We will make sure Loki never bothers you again."

Taryn smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you, Thor. Don't be a stranger. You're all invited to our wedding!"

Thor asked Heimdal to send them home, and Steve wrapped his arm around her tightly and they traveled the slipstream and ended up in a field in a flash of light. It took a moment for them to realize they were in a field over a hill to where the SHIELD compound was. Steve hefted their bags and they headed back to the large set of buildings and, after passing through a shocked and confused security checkpoint, went to Steve's room to relax and regroup.

Taryn stretched out on the couch with her shoes off, then rubbed her feet. "Ugh, it's good to be back in our own realm, as beautiful as Asgard was…"

Steve sat beside her, placing her feet in his lap and massaging them. "It is good to be back. How are you feeling?"

Taryn shrugged. "I'm okay… tired, still feel the chill of that place…"

Steve was about to respond when a knock interrupted his thoughts. He stood and answered the door to find Romanoff, Wilson and Dr. Erik Selvig standing in his doorway.

"Oh my god, you're back!" cried Natasha, making her way into the room.

"Um… yes…"

Sam stepped forward. "You were gone for over a week. What happened to you?!"

Selvig popped his head in the door. "Yes, where did you go? Did you go to Asgard?"  
Taryn stared at him from the couch, then stood and approached the group. Selvig stuck his hand out. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Doctor Selvig. Would you be willing to sit for some testing?"

Taryn raised a brown. "Taryn McKenna… pleased to meet you, I think… what kind of tests?"

"Well, blood test, some atmospheric analysis, physical scans…." He pulled out some sort of hand held device and a yellow beam came out and surrounded her.

"Ahh ….perhaps we should save that for another time?" said Steve gently taking the device away from Eric and handed it to Sam.

"Err… yes, of course…"

"Can you at least tell us what happened?" Tasha probed.

So Steve and Taryn regaled their story and Eric and the others sat with rapt attention. Taryn could tell Selvig longed to see Asgard for himself. "And that's how we ended up in the field just north of the compound."

"Oh? Well perhaps I should go and take some readings, then!" he said excitedly and moments later, he was off, followed by Romanoff and Wilson.

"We'll see you two later," said Sam as Steve closed the door behind them.

Taryn flopped down in a chair. "We were gone for over a week…. It was just the other day we were coming back from the city…"  
Steve approached her and crouched down in front of her. "I know… but it's over, and we're home and safe."

Taryn ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. "Of which I am grateful. You know what, though? I'm exhausted."

Rogers took her hands in hers. "How about I run a nice hot bath, we relax, then turn in?"

She smiled and nodded. "Sounds wonderful."

Steve watched Taryn sleep soundly for the first time in days. Since he brought her back from Niflheim she had been quiet, reserved. Loki hadn't physically abused her, but mentally tried to crush her to get his way. When Taryn had seen Loki stab Steve in the side, she lost it and blew Loki through an enormous hole in the wall. He still remembered the wild look in Taryn's eyes; full of rage, but eerily calm. He'd never seen her look that way, and he could actually feel the power radiating off her.

Moments later, her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him. "How long have you been up?"

Steve returned the smile, brushing a lock of hair from her eyes. "Not long. Just watching you sleep for a bit."

She flushed and shifted to lay her head on his chest. This was real and solid and she felt so much better this morning. Her fingertips gently brushed against the still red skin of his wound. "How do you feel?"

"Oh, I'm fine. It's healing well. Just still a bit sore."

She looked up at him and she felt tears well in her eyes. "I'm so glad that you're safe. What Loki did…"

He pressed a gentle finger to her lips. "Shhh. It's okay, Love. We're safe and we're together and that is all that matters."

Taryn hugged him tightly. "I think… I think I should retire again."

"What? But you love…"

"I know. But then I met you and fell in love and want to spend the rest of my life with you, but..."  
Steve sat up and leaned against the head board. "But? Taryn, if you don't want this life with me then…"

"No! No it isn't that, I just couldn't bear to lose you…"

"And I can't bear to lose you. Taryn, you and I make an amazing team, in and out of a fight. You're an incredible woman and an invaluable Avenger. I can't make you stay, but I would hope you would. I'm proud to fight by your side and proud to make you my wife. I want this to work."

She smiled softly at him. "As do I. I'm sorry if I'm over reacting. It's just been one hell of a year since we met. I never thought I would find someone that would truly accept my abilities and want to spend the rest of their life with me." She sat up and turned to him. "I never thought I'd find what we have."

Steve grabbed her hands. "Then let's get married."

Taryn raised a brow and held up her ring. "Um… we are in September, remember?"

"I know that. I mean now. Let's not wait. We both know that life is too short and it can change in an instant."

Taryn was about to protest but then stopped and thought about it. "You're right. You're absolutely right. Why wait until September? Let's do this."

Steve smiled broadly and took her face in his hands. "No second guesses, no regrets?"

Taryn chuckled at the sound of her own words coming back at her. "None whatsoever. I want to be Mrs. Rogers as soon as possible."

He kissed her then and pulled her to him. He did, however, wince at the slight pressure on his side. She pulled away, but he grinned his lopsided grin and held her close.

"But your side…" she started. Steve kissed her passionately. "I'll survive. Besides, it's worth it."

Steve and Taryn finally emerged from the bedroom around lunch time. Steve made a b-line to the kitchen, stating he was starving since he missed breakfast.

Taryn followed him in one of his tee shirts. "Well, then, I won't allow you to do that first thing in the morning then," referring to their morning tryst.

"Well now let's not get crazy…" he laughed, downing a cinnamon muffin.

"Speaking of crazy… how are we going to pull off a wedding that quickly?"

"I have no idea. That's your expertise, isn't it?"

She glared at him. "And how many weddings have I planned? I'll have to call the salon to see if I can get the dress without alterations and have it done here somewhere…"

"What about having the wedding at the cabin? Or in town?"

Taryn started to pace the kitchen floor. "Well, I'm sure Ellie could help with catering… and maybe she can contact the pastor at Saint John's there… I need to ask Tasha if she'll stand up for me. Who will you have?"

He stopped eating a second muffin and ran his fingers through his hair. "Well, I'd love it if Bucky could be there, but it's too risky to ask him to be the best man… Maybe I can get word to him where he could at least come."

"What about Sam? He's been there a lot for the both of us."

"Do you think he would?"

She smiled. "I think he would love to."


	21. Chapter 21 Race to the Altar

_**Chapter 21**_

 _ **Race to the Altar**_

Later that day, Taryn set up a time to meet Tasha and Sam at the local pizza place in town for dinner. Rogers and McKenna had arrived and already ordered a pitcher of beer when their two friends entered the restaurant. Steve waived them over and Sam and Tasha sat.

"I was in the mood for pizza and wings – good call, man," stated Sam as he sat and Steve pour him a beer.

Tasha sat and sipped her own glass. "So… what's up…?"

Taryn laughed knowing that she suspected something was going on. "Well, we've decided to move up the wedding."

"Oh?" All sorts of thoughts flooded Romanoff's mind, but she was not going to presume.

Steve held Taryn's hand. "We've just realized that life is too short and we don't want to waste any more time."

"Well that's great! When do you plan on tying the knot then?" asked Sam after ordering his food.

"Next weekend. We know its short notice but …

Steve turned to Sam. "I know it's not much time, but would you be my best man?"

Sam looked genuinely surprised. "Wow…. Yeah I'd be honored, Steve." They shook hands and while they were talking about the wedding, Taryn turned to Romanoff.

"So," Taryn started. "I was wondering if you would consider being my maid of honor."

Tasha sat staring at Taryn. This woman, whom she hadn't trusted a year ago, wanted her in her wedding. She didn't think she'd ever been this close to another woman before, at least enough to call her a friend. She smiled.

"Of course I will. Just no poufy dresses, okay?"

Taryn laughed. "Deal."

By the time Steve and Taryn returned from dinner, she had a few messages from Ellie and one from the salon. Ellie had not only set the church, but found a venue at the hotel and had the entire meal planned. She even had a cake testing set up for them from a new bakery in town that Ellie claimed was delicious. Ellie knew food, so Taryn felt she could trust her.

Taryn was nervous to listen to the message from the salon, but it was good news. They had been able to get her dress early, and it would ship to her by Friday. That would leave her a week for alterations if necessary. Now to call her parents. She sat down on the couch while Steve was getting something from the kitchen.

"Mom?"

"Oh, hello Taryn, is everything alright?"

"Oh, yes, fine. I just wanted to let you know that Steve and I have moved up the wedding."

A moment of silence passed between them, and Taryn could only imagine what she was thinking. "And no, I'm not pregnant. We just don't want to wait any longer to be married."

"Oh thank goodness. Well, good then. When is it?"

"Next weekend."

"Next weekend!? My goodness how are you going to get everything you need and what about the dress?"

"Relax Mom, I have things under control. We'll be heading to the cabin on Thursday and the wedding will be in town. I'll email you all the details."

"Taryn…. Taryn?" She heard a voice from far away. "Taryn, honey…" Taryn's head snapped up and looked around, momentarily forgetting where she was. "Wha? Did I fall asleep?"

Steve chuckled, sitting beside her. "Yes. All this wedding planning has got you exhausted. Why don't you head to bed? I'll clean up here and be in shortly."

She yawned and stretched and nodded her head in agreement and wandered off into the bed room. Steve waited for her to close the door to the bathroom, then ran around the room cleaning up and setting some things out for the next day. He grinned like a little kid, then turned off the light, and headed to bed.

The next morning, McKenna awoke to an empty bed, and the smells of coffee, bacon and pancakes. She was about to get out of bed when she heard a soft knock at the door. It swung open revealing a tray of goodies held by Rogers who grinned from ear to ear.

She raised a brow at him. "What on earth…"

He came and set the tray over her lap and sat beside her. "Happy birthday, Love."

Taryn had been so busy wedding planning in hyperspeed that she nearly forgot. "Aww… thanks, babe. That's very sweet of you." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Welcome. I intend on pampering you all day, so get used to it."

Taryn laughed. "You don't have to do that. I have a lot of things to talk to Ellie about and …"

"Nope. You need to relax and you need to let me take care of you."

She grinned wickedly. "Hmm…. I like that… what did you have in mind? Hopefully we'll stay in?"

"If you'd like. Or we can go out to dinner…. Whatever you want. It's your day."

"Well, that's a tough choice, but I think I'd like to just chill alone with you today."

"Done. Have your breakfast and I'll be right back."

Taryn happily dug into the meal and was about to turn the TV on when Steve came bounding back into the room. "So I know how much you like old movies so I thought we could watch a few in bed today."

"Now you're talking. What's the selection?"

"Well I have some Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly…"

"Mmm, tough choice. Let's start with Danny Kaye."

After four hours of movies, they showered, dressed in comfies and settled in for an afternoon of more movies, video games and take out from Taryn's favorite local restaurant.

Taryn lounged on the couch after dinner, soft music on in the back ground. Steve sat opposite her on the couch and smiled. "Did you have a good birthday?"

McKenna stretched lazily and smiled. "It was a perfectly uneventful day. Thank you."

Steve chuckled and stood, extending a hand to her. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, swaying to the music. "Happy birthday, Taryn," he whispered, holding her close.

Taryn rested her head on his shoulder and found herself lost in the moment. It reminded her of their first dance that day in the gym. She looked up at him and he was smiling down at her. Rogers leaned in and kissed her softly.

"I'm the luckiest guy in the world to have found someone like you."

"Well, I consider myself pretty lucky as well, you know. Just think, a week from now we'll be dancing our first dance at our wedding."

"Wow… you're right."

"You're not getting cold feet on me already, are you?"

"What? No! No of course not! Quite the opposite, actually. I've been looking forward to this for a long time." Rogers smiled softly and kissed her again. "I wouldn't change a thing."

McKenna smiled when they parted. She turned off the music and lights, took his hand and they retired for the night.

The next week remained without incident, so Taryn and Steve decided to head up to the cabin on Wednesday night. A quinjet dropped them off and after stashing their luggage, they curled up on the couch and waited for some lasagna to bake while they watched old movies. They chatted about the plans and discussed what else was needed then decided to turn in. By mutual decision, they would sleep in separate beds until the wedding, hoping to keep a little of the old fashioned romance alive.

In the morning, they headed into town to see Ellie for breakfast. When she saw the couple, she came running right over and hugged them both very tightly. The entire diner erupted into applause and Taryn knew Ellie had shared the news.

"Of course we've had reporters nosing around, but we're trying to keep them at bay."

"We appreciate that Ellie. And we appreciate all you've been doing for us. I can't thank you enough."

"Aw, well it's an honor and a pleasure. You're very special to me, Taryn. If I'd have had a daughter, I'd want her to be just like you."

Taryn hugged her tightly. "Thank you Ellie. You're very special to me too."

Ellie sniffled and waived her arms. "Okay, okay, enough of that mushy stuff. Let me tell you everything I have so far."

The three sat down at a back table and discussed the venue, the food, the cake testing appointment. Taryn suddenly gasped. "Rings!"

"What?" he asked.

"Rings. We don't have wedding bands yet…"

Ellie smiled. "Go down to see Ethan at the jewelers down the street. He's got quite a selection. You can go before your cake appointment at two."

"Ellie what would I do without you?"

They returned to the cabin full and pleased with all the information that Ellie had to share. Taryn flipped through the planner that Ellie had given her, "She thought of everything."

"Well that's good, isn't it?"

Taryn smiled and looked back at him over the couch. "It is very good. It's almost hard to believe we'll be married in two days…"

Steve came over to the couch and sat beside her. "It is, but I can't wait to call you my wife." He pulled her in close and kissed her deeply.

Taryn smiled up at him. "I can't wait for that either. I love you Captain Rogers."

The next morning, they headed out to the jewelers after breakfast. "Ah, Agent McKenna, Captain Rogers. Welcome. Ellie told me to expect you."

Taryn laughed and approached the counter. "Of course she did."

Ethan laughed. "So what is it that you're looking for?"

Taryn showed him her engagement ring. "It's vintage and I'd like something similar."

Ethan showed them a collection of vintage inspired rings. She found one that was slightly curved to fit with the curve of her engagement ring. The ring contained both white diamonds and emeralds. Steve agreed that it was the right one, and the jeweler went to check stock. Meanwhile they reviewed the men's rings to find something for Steve.

"What do you like?" she asked.

Steve stared at the choices. "I have no idea… never worn a ring before."

Taryn spotted a platinum band with an etched texture that featured a small round blue sapphire set flush in the band. "What about that one? That's pretty…"

"Well I don't know about pretty, but it's nice. I could wear that."

After paying for the rings, as they luckily had them in stock, they made their way down the street to the bakery. Becky was already waiting for them with a tasting menu and in about an hour, they had their cake ordered and they were on their way to pick up her dress at the post office. While Taryn went to the seamstress, Steve took a walk through town, encountering a few paparazzi. Despite that, he enjoyed the town and could see himself living here. Maybe one day they both could retire here and live out their days in the cabin... raise a family…

His phone ringing broke him out of his reverie. It was Taryn. "Hey."

"Hi, I'm done with the seamstress. She's going to press the dress and bring it to the cabin tomorrow. What are you up to?"

"Just taking a walk. Being followed by some cameras…"

"Ugh… I'm sure we'll see more of that before the weekend is done. So wanna meet for lunch?"

"Actually I grabbed some things to bring home. I'll head back up to where you are and we'll meet."

They ate lunch, then Ellie called Taryn to remind her of the rehearsal at the church at four. She had completely forgotten about it, so they ran over there, meeting Tasha and Sam and her parents to do a quick rundown of the ceremony. The pastor was very nice and asked if they wanted anything special incorporated in the ceremony, or if they were writing their own vows. Steve smiled at Taryn. "No we'd like to have traditional vows, please."

So they ran through the paces several times to make sure they all had it down. Taryn had to jokingly chastise her father for becoming emotional just practicing escorting her. Ellie then had them back to the diner where Taryn had to fight with her to get Ellie to let her pay for their food.

"You have done more than enough for us and I still intend on paying you for all that you've done." She raised a hand to silence Ellie, laughing. "No arguing, got it?"

Ellie laughed and hugged her. "Got it."

They ate, then Taryn and Steve went back to the cabin to finalize plans for the rest of the afternoon. They sat in the living room flipping through the notebook that Ellie had provided and made a few more decisions before calling it a night. Steve was off to the hotel and Taryn's mom would arrive in the morning from the hotel to help her get ready.

"Well, good night love." Steve hugged her tightly.

"Good night. Sleep well, and I'll see you in church."

He grinned. "Yes you will. I love you."

"Love you too." And she watched from the porch as he drove her car into town. Taryn closed the door behind her and looked around at the cabin. Tomorrow it would be bustling with wedding prep. Her mother would be coming in from the hotel to help her get ready and Tasha volunteered to ride with her. Taryn chuckled and thought 'what a ride that will be.'

She busied herself by cleaning up around the living room, and making sure everything was ready for the morning. The wedding was at the church at one, so at least she could sleep in for a little while, but she knew she'd be up early and anxious for the day. Today was the last day as a single woman. She was very excited for the future, even though she couldn't see it herself. Taryn marveled at how her life had changed so drastically in a year but wouldn't have changed it for anything.

Taryn went into the kitchen and noticed the time. It was only seven thirty. She rummaged through her refrigerator and grabbed some cheese and was about get crackers from the cupboard when she sensed something familiar. She walked to the door and was surprised to see two cars pull up. Natasha got out of the first car also containing her mother, Ellie and Agent Jill Mullins. The second car contained Maria Hill, Pepper Potts, Wanda Maximoff and Laura Barton.

"Oh my god, what are you all doing here?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.

Tasha brought out two large bags from the trunk of the car and Maria grabbed two more. "Celebrating your wedding! We thought since the boys were going out, we'd bring your party to you."

Taryn grabbed a bag and invited them all in. "Well it's so good of you to all come… wait… the boys are going out?"

Ellie patted Taryn on the arm. "They're only going to the Ale House. Can't get into too much trouble there."

Steve got to his room and tossed his jacket on the chair. He stepped over to the window to look out over the town. From his vantage, he could see the church where Taryn would become his wife at one o'clock.

He sat down on the bed and looked at the time. Not quite seven thirty yet. He was too wired to sleep yet, but he thought if he went to sleep now, maybe tomorrow would come sooner. Steve opened the bag he had set down that contained the rings for the ceremony and stared at the two boxes. He opened them up and smiled, hardly believing what was about to happen. Not bad for a sick, skinny kid from Brooklyn…

A knock at his door broke him out of his musing. Rogers answered it and was shocked to see a small crowd of men outside his door. Sam pushed his way in.

"Okay, this is the night before your wedding. I know you can't get drunk but we're gonna take you out anyway."

"What? No, I should get some sleep…"

Tony walked in and grabbed Steve's jacket. "C'mon Old Man. It's your last night of freedom and we're going to salute you."

Barton walked into the room. "Don't worry, Cap. I told you once before that it was the best thing I ever did. And I mean it. Don't listen to these guys, they've got no clue…"

"C'mon boys, we're wasting time," said Tony tossing Steve's jacket at him. "Let's check out the local scene."

Tony had a limo waiting for them that drove them down to the Ale House where Steve and Taryn had gone last Fourth of July. He remembered that day with flushed cheeks as that was the first night they had spent together. As they pulled up, Steve saw a sign that told of the specials and that it was Karaoke night.

The girls sat around in the living room, drinking wine, eating snacks and talking about life, childhood and men.

"Oooh, we have gifts!" Taryn's mother announced, running to get three of the bags.

"Gifts? You didn't have to…"

"No, but we wanted to," Tasha retorted, shoving a box in her lap.

Taryn laughed and shook her head and opened the gift. She pulled out a very lacy, very sheer piece of lingerie with a matching g-string. She felt her face grow hot. She then looked at the card with the package. "Mom?!"

"What? It's for your wedding night. I mean I know that you're not a vir…"

"Mother!? Thank you, that's enough." But the girls lost it and Tasha handed her another package. "I'm not so sure I wanna open this…"

But she did, and found several pair of boyshort panties with the Captain America shield logo on them. Another gift had a shield tank top and matching panties. "I sense a theme here," she laughed.

"You can wear them on your honeymoon," Laura joked.

"Yes, where are you going for your honeymoon?" asked Jill.

Taryn sat blankly. "I… I don't know. We didn't have time to plan anything yet…."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to plan something soon, dear," said her mother.

"Oh! Open my gift next," announced an enthusiastic Pepper.

Taryn opened the box and found a star spangled bikini that was a lot less skimpy that Taryn thought it might be. "Um… thanks…. Now I just need a pool…."

"Keep looking, there's something else in there."

Taryn looked confused, but removed another piece of tissue paper and found a large envelope. "What's this?"

"Open it," Pepper said with a grin.

Taryn opened the envelope and found plane tickets, reservation information and all expenses paid to the Sandals Grande Antigua resort. "Pepper?! Are you kidding me?"

"Absolutely not! I knew you wouldn't have time to plan anything for yourself and Tony and I thought it would be the perfect place to send you."

"Pepper, I … we can't accept…"

"Yes, of course you can. I'm CEO of Stark Enterprises and you're my friend. I hope you and Steve enjoy it."

"Oh, you know they will…they probably won't leave the villa!" joked Laura. "I mean after that night during Thanksgiving…"

"Laura!" Taryn laughed and tossed a ball of wrapping paper at her.

Taryn's mother looked at her. "What? What happened at Thanksgiving?"

"Never mind…"

Tasha laughed, "I'll tell you in the car on the way back to the hotel…"

"Don't you dare!"

The conversation soon drifted to how Taryn knew Steve was the one.

"Well, he was kind and I think we felt comfortable from the start. I remember having a conversation in a courtyard at the compound. We were laying on the grass and finding cloud animals. I know it sounds goofy, but when he smiled and looked at me with those blue eyes of his…. That was it…"

"That's very romantic. Tony's romantic in his own way for sure… like the time he got me a gigantic stuffed rabbit for Christmas. Of course not long after that the house was blown up…"

They chatted more, and then Maria piped up. "What do you think the guys are doing right now?"

Taryn chuckled. "Well if they went to the Ale House, there is much drinking and it's Karaoke night."

Wanda giggled, clearly having had a bit too much wine. "We should go! How much fun would that be?"

Taryn's eyes widened. "I'm not so sure I want to crash Steve's bachelor party…"

"Oh, come on…" Tasha poked Taryn in the arm. "It'll be fun! I'd be surprised if any of them could sing…"

"Tony can't, although he tries in the shower," Pepper laughed.

"Then it's settled. We're going to the Ale House," announced Tasha.

"What? No I don't think…" Taryn started to protest but Tasha tossed her jacket to her.

"Come on, it will be fun!"

McKenna raised a brow, "Then you're going on stage with me!"


	22. Ch 22 - Music, Mojitos and Matrimony

_**Chapter 22**_

 _ **Music, Mojitos and Matrimony**_

Steve buried his head in the crook of his arm as he watched a sober Stark painfully belt out Black Sabbath's Iron Man. Sam was laughing uncontrollably and Barton ordered another round of beers and Taryn's father helped carry them back to the table. Despite the poor entertainment, the crowd went wild when they realized who had taken the stage, and continued to by rounds of drinks for the group. Even Miles Jenson tagged along and both he and Rogers agreed there were no hard feelings.

After a few more songs Tony let some other patrons have the stage and sat to sip his club soda. "Not so bad a place, Cap. Been here before?"

Steve found himself grinning. "Yeah. They've got good burgers here too…"

"Well then, we shall partake!" and Tony wandered off to the bar to place orders.

Taryn sat laughing in the car as she gave Romanoff directions to the Ale House and couldn't believe they were going to crash the guys' party. "I should be sleeping not stalking! I have a big day tomorrow!"

"Oh hush," said her mother. "The ceremony isn't until one. We'll get you back in plenty of time."

The group of women arrived at the parking lot next door and all filed into the bar. Taryn was amazed at how many people were out tonight, but then again, if they had gotten wind that some Avengers were in town, they'd be out looking for them. She spotted the men up front at two tables to the right so she headed up front while Maria ordered some pitchers of Mojitos at the bar.

"Ugh oh," said Henry McKenna jokingly. "Looks like the women found us."

Steve turned and stood as Taryn approached him. "Hey I had no idea they were going to take me out…" he started defensively.

She laughed. "Relax, I'm not mad. The girls dragged me out too…"

Suddenly Tasha was at her elbow leading her to a table. "C'mon, Maria has the drinks!"

Taryn shrugged and Steve chuckled as she was led away. They watched groups and individuals get up and some were good… more were not so good… They ate and drank and eventually they coaxed Maria Hill up to the stage along with Jill Mullins to sing a few songs. Soon Maria dragged Taryn up onto the stage and she pulled Romanoff and Potts up with her and the five broke into "Wannabe" from the Spice Girls.

The five pranced around on stage singing parts then it evolved into the modern version of "Lady Marmalade." Taryn danced on stage and Steve watched her gyrate to the music. He almost felt a bit jealous that other men were watching her too, but then smiled knowing that she was going to marry him tomorrow.

After the song Taryn hopped down off the stage and went to sit on Steve's lap. "Having fun?" she whispered in his ear.

He chuckled, putting his arm around her. "Actually, yes. But it is getting late…"

"I know. I'm so anxious and excited, I'm not sure I can sleep though."

Steve kissed her cheek. "I know what you mean…"

Just then Taryn's mother grabbed her arm and pulled her away. "Come on, none of that! Save it for tomorrow!"

"Mom!" she laughed as she was dragged off again.

Tony approached Steve and along with Sam got up on stage and began ACDC's "You Shook Me All Night Long". Steve struggled with that as it was just way to suggestive for him. Taryn giggled at his awkwardness on stage.

With the night winding down and the crowd slowly dissipating the groups melded to chat and drink until Taryn realized it was nearly one in the morning.

"Oh good grief, I need some sleep or I'll look horrible tomorrow… er… later today…

Tasha laughed and prodded Tony to pay the bill for both groups and moments later they were filtering out the door amidst congratulators and autograph seekers. The guys made a path and the women dashed into their cars, the few sober ones driving. Taryn kissed Steve quickly.

"I love you and I'll see you tomorrow at church."

"You bet," he grinned.

Taryn said good night to her friends and mother and made her way into her room to change. She crawled into bed and stared up at the ceiling. Tomorrow was her wedding day. A day she didn't think would come with her strange life. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes with a smile, hoping her excitement wouldn't keep her awake.

Some of the guys went back out after dropping Steve off. "See you tomorrow, Old Man," Stark punched Steve in the arm as he left. Steve locked the door, changed and lay atop the hotel bed, looking over at the ring boxes on the night stand. He smiled. Though Taryn hadn't been the only woman in his life, he couldn't imagine spending his life without her. She was his love, his support, his life now and he wouldn't have it any other way.

Taryn slept peacefully until about nine in the morning. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She was nervous and excited and terrified all at once. This is it. This is my wedding day. She took a deep breath and headed for the shower. In about an hour, she knew her mother, Tasha and hair and makeup would arrive. McKenna showered and threw on a robe and headed out into the living room. She fixed herself a cup of coffee and figured she'd better eat some sort of breakfast to try and calm her nerves. She sat at her kitchen counter and looked around the room. Soon it would be buzzing with wedding prep and she smiled. She was nervous, but so excited.

The first to arrive was the seamstress with her dress. Taryn let her in with a huge grin. "I'm so excited to wear this today!"

The seamstress laughed. "Let's hang this up to keep if from wrinkling."

Taryn showed her to the spare room and had her hang it up on the closet door and she spread out the train. "Taryn, it's beautiful."

"It is, isn't it? Thank you so much for being able to take care of it, Lauren. I really appreciate it on such short notice."

"My pleasure. Never worked for a superhero before," she laughed. "If you'd like, I can stay. You may need some help getting in it and I can make any last minute adjustments if necessary."

"I'd hate to bother you but that really would be great. Would you like some coffee?"

The next to arrive was Romanoff and Taryn's mother and not long after that, the team of hair and makeup artists. They all set to work on their looks for the day. First, makeup for Taryn, the artist working in soft antique hues. Once completed, the hair stylist started their work. Her hair was styled in soft waves around her face and swept up on the left, held in place by her ivory lace headpiece. Once finished she went into the spare room to get dressed while her mother and Tasha dressed in the other rooms.

Tasha wore a navy blue satin dress that hugged her curves flatteringly and had small cap sleeves and a slight ruffle at the hem. She looked at herself in the mirror and found she actually liked it, for a bridesmaids dress. She slipped on her matching heels and went to wait in the living room.

Maggie finished dressing and knocked on Taryn's bedroom door. The seamstress opened it and Maggie saw her daughter standing in front of the full length mirror. She turned slowly. "So what do you think, Mom?"

Her mother gasped. "Oh, Taryn… you look even more beautiful than the first time you had the dress on. Oh, honey I'm so happy for you!"

Taryn sniffled. "Now don't get me going, we're not even at the church yet!"

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. It's just that I didn't think that…"

"Neither did I, Mom. Neither did I."

Steve paced back and forth at the hotel where he and Sam had gotten ready and Tony and Barton stopped by the room to see if they needed anything. "Will you please sit? You're making me dizzy," said Tony.

"I'm sorry… I'm just nervous."

Clint slapped him on the back. "Don't worry. You love her, she loves you… best thing _I_ ever did."

Tony, looking at home in his tuxedo, sat with his feet up on the coffee table. "What time do you have to be there?"

"No later than twelve forty five," Rogers replied.

There was a knock on the door and Sam answered it. Standing in the doorway in full Asgardian armor was Thor.

Steve smiled. "You made it!"

"I would not miss this for all the ale in Asgard!" He clasped hands with Steve. "Congratulations my friend!"

"Thank you. Taryn will be happy to see you."

"And I her. Jane will be joining us later. She is flying in from the west coast now." They sat and chatted before they needed to drive to the church.

Taryn sat quietly as everyone else bustled around her, just waiting for twelve thirty so they could leave for the church. She took some time to flip through her phone and found photos of the impending event. People were already at the church taking photos of the building, and some had posted photos from Thursday and Friday as she and Steve had gathered things for the wedding. She shook her head and just wished for a moment they were nobodies having a quiet wedding in a small town. Bloggers were referring to it as the 'wedding of the year' and 'fans are out to catch a glimpse of their favorite Avenger' and whoever else happened to be invited. It wasn't a wedding, it was turning into a circus.

Steve's cell rang and Tony picked it up off the side table. "Oh, hi. Hang on…" He handed the phone to Rogers. "It's your blushing bride."

Steve took the phone out onto the balcony of the hotel room. "Hey, everything okay?"

"Have you seen the internet? This poor little town is a circus."

"Well it isn't quite that bad. Where are you?"

"At the cabin. I'm in my dress in the living room trying to catch my breath."

"Taryn, I'm sorry. Do you… do you still want to go through with this?"

"Of course I do! I just wish it wasn't an international event. But I guess that's what you get when two Avengers get married. Which I wouldn't change for the world… any of it."

"Good. Me either. You gonna be okay?"

"Yes, now that I've talked to you. The next time we talk will be in church."

He smiled at that. "I can't wait to see you. Love you."

"Love you too. See you soon."

"C'mon. The limo is almost here," her mother announced and they gathered what was needed and went to wait on the porch.

Rogers set the phone back on the dresser.

"She's still showing up today, yes?"

Steve laughed. "Yes, just a bit hectic over there right now."

"Ah yes, doing all their 'girly' things… makes you glad all you have to do is wear a suit and show up."

The men arrived in a large limo at the church and waived to the small crowd who screamed in response. They got inside and Steve and Sam were shown to a small side room to wait until they were needed. Tony went to wait in the vestibule with Taryn's father, and Thor went to find a seat. Steve just hoped Taryn wouldn't be upset by what he ended up wearing.

Taryn arrived in her own limo and stepped out front of the church and took a deep breath. Natasha picked up her train and followed her in as the crowd cheered and screamed. The crows weren't as bad as she thought they would be and she was relieved. Taryn was showed to a small room to wait in before the ceremony, and her mother and Tasha kept her company until it was time to take their places. Taryn's father was waiting for them. "Taryn, you look beautiful."

She smiled softly. "Thank you, Dad. Thank you for being here."

"Your mother and I are honored."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation between Steve and Sam. Sam opened the outside door and a shadowed figure stood in the doorway. Sam turned to Steve questioningly and Steve replied, "it's okay, let him in."

"Ah… right… I'll just wait outside." The figure stepped in and Sam shut the door behind him.

The man removed his hood and Steve smiled. "Glad you could make it, Bucky."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world," he replied, hugging his friend. "Can't believe it's you getting hitched, but hey…"

Steve chuckled. "Yeah some days I can't believe it either. I'm glad you're here. I'm sorry you're not my best man…."

"Eh… can't really show my face still. And he seems like an okay guy," he gestured to the door.

"Sam's a good man. He's fought beside me just like you did. I trust him with my life."

Bucky nodded and clasped Steve on the shoulder. "Good luck, and I'll catch up with you soon." He stepped out the door and Sam came back inside.

"Everything okay?"

Steve smiled wistfully. "Everything's fine."

A knock at the door told them it would be five minutes until they were needed inside the church.

At twelve fifty five, the men moved promptly into the church and stood in front of the altar. Flashes were going off and Steve was flabbergasted at just how many people showed up today and completely filled the small Parrish. He took a deep breath and Sam clasped a hand on his shoulder. Then the music began to play and the large doors opened at the front of the church.

Natasha set off down the aisle. She held a small bouquet of antique colored roses and took her place near the altar to wait for Taryn and her father. The wedding march began and the crowd rose. Taryn nodded to her father and took his arm and they processed down the aisle. As she got closer to the altar, she finally saw Steve and tears began to well in her eyes. She couldn't stop smiling. He was wearing his uniform. His 1942 Army dress uniform. She felt so proud and emotional. They had talked with the tailor, but because the moved up the wedding, they didn't think it would happen in time.

Steve had waited for the doors too open, and when they did, immediately the nerves set in. Taryn's maid of honor walked down the aisle before her, and he held his breath as the wedding march started. He was so happy that she had reconciled with her parents and that her father was walking her down the aisle. And then he saw her. She was magnificent. She looked as though she stepped out of the pages of one of his mother's glamour magazines. Her dress hugged her curves elegantly and her hair was soft and flowing. Taryn was breathtaking. His nervousness disappeared.

The priest approached the bride and her father.

"Dearly beloved. We are gathered together today to celebrate the marriage of Steven Grant Rogers and Taryn Sage McKenna." He looked to Taryn's father. "Who gives this woman's hand in marriage?"

"Her mother and I," and he kissed her cheek, and passed her hand to Steve.

The ceremony continued and Rogers never let go of her hand. The time for their vows had come. They had discussed writing their own, but in the end, opted for the traditional vows.

The priest had them face each other and hold hands. He turned to Rogers first. "Do you, Steven Grant take Taryn Sage to be your wedded wife?"

He smiled at her. "I do."

"Do you promise to love, cherish, to honor and protect, forsaking all others, in sickness and in health? In adversity as well as prosperity, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And do you, Taryn Sage, take Steven Grant to be your wedded husband?"

"I do," she stated enthusiastically and he chuckled.

"Do you promise to love, cherish, to honor and protect, forsaking all others, in sickness and in health? In adversity as well as prosperity, for better or for worse, as long as you both shall live?"

She squeezed his hands. "I do."

"Steven, please take her ring and repeat after me."

"With this ring, I thee wed." And he slipped the platinum band on her finger.

She took his band and placed it on his finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

The priest blessed them and smiled. "Those whom God hath joined together, let no man put asunder. Forasmuch as Steven and Taryn have consented together in Holy Wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company of witnesses, and there to have given their pledge, each to the other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving a ring, and by joining hands; by the power vested in me by God, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride."

Steve moved closer to Taryn and cupped her face in his hands. He kissed her warmly. They turned and Natasha handed Taryn's bouquet back to her. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I now present to you Captain and Mrs. Steven Grant Rogers."

The congregation got to their feet and cheered. The two walked back down the aisle together hand in hand. They were congratulated and patted on the back and when the doors flew open the crowd outside erupted. Screams and cheers, photo flashes and cameras rolling and they kissed at the top of the stairs. The limo was right outside the front steps and they dashed inside and the limo drove away.

Taryn sat back in the seat as Steve popped the cork on the champagne that was waiting for them. He poured glasses and handed her one. "A toast."

She smiled brightly at him and raised her glass.

"To my beautiful wife."

"And to my handsome husband. I was so surprised to see your uniform. I think you look very dashing. Much better than a tux. I'm surprised the tailor was able to complete it."

He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. "And you, my dear are gorgeous. I don't know how you found the perfect dress, but you did. I've never seen you look more beautiful." She rested her head on his shoulder and they enjoyed the ride to the venue. They did not pay attention when the limo turned down a quiet street and pulled over. The window separating the front and back slid down and the driver turned around.

Taryn raised a brow. "Oh, its you…"

Bucky tipped his hat. "Always a pleasure. I did want to say congratulations to the both of you." He turned to Taryn. "Take care of him. He thinks he can take care of himself but he needs someone to look after him."

Steve was about to protest when Bucky turned to him. "And you better not let the good woman go, even though I hate to admit that."

Taryn shook her head, yet slightly amused. "Thank you, I think."

"Well, enough chit chat, better get you to the party before people start to wonder…"

They arrived at their reception venue about an hour before the rest of the guests would arrive. Taryn wanted some photos at the hotel gardens before the reception began. The photographer was exceptional and décor was tasteful and vintage as she requested. She was very happy with the day.

Soon the bridal party and family started to arrive. After all the group photos were complete they had a chance to relax for a bit before the other guests arrived. Taryn sat herself in a posh chair by the window and arranged her dress around her. Steve was chatting with Tony and Clint. Natasha walked to Taryn and handed her a glass of champagne.

"Congratulations. The ceremony was beautiful."

"Thank you, Tasha. Thank you for being my Maid of Honor."

"Happy to oblige."

A few of the guests started to arrive and Taryn saw among them Phil Coulson and Thor. Taryn rose and darted over to Coulson. "Phil!" She hugged him fiercely. "Thank you for coming!"

He smiled, hugging her in return. "I wouldn't have missed it. You look beautiful."

"Thank you." She led him over to Steve.

"Congratulations, Captain." He shook Rogers' had firmly.

"Phil! It's great to see you."

Taryn handed him a glass of champagne and he raised it. "To the bride and groom. Best of luck to you both!"

Taryn kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you Phil."

Soon Thor made his way over to Rogers and he clasped him hard on the arm. "Congratulations, my friend!"

"Thank you Thor. May I present my wife?" God he loved saying that.

Thor took her hand and kissed it. "It is good to see you again my lady. I would like you to meet Jane."

"Thank you for having us, it's lovely."

Taryn was a hugger so she embraced Jane with a smile. "We're so glad you both could come!"

More people began to arrive and Taryn and Steve were pulled in all sorts of directions to meet and greet people and soon it was time for the presentation.

The announcer introduced the wedding party and they all took their places at the tables around the head table.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, for the first time as husband and wife, Captain and Mrs. Steve and Taryn Rogers!"

They walked in, Taryn's arm in his and went into the first dance. Taryn actually had no idea what they would be dancing to as Steve had asked if he could pick it.

She smiled brightly as she heard the first song that they ever slow danced to over a year ago in that training room.

"Do you approve?" he whispered.

"It's perfect."

When the dance was done, they were seated at their table to a round of applause. Shortly thereafter, dinner was served.

Sam gave a best man speech that was funny, charming and heart felt. The bride and groom then went to cut the cake, and Taryn had surprised him with one of Ellie's famous apple pies as a groom's 'cake'.

The wedding cake itself was layered chocolate and vanilla with chocolate raspberry ganache in between and frosted with rich ivory buttercream. Antique colored roses decorated the cake and atop it sat a custom topper made to resemble the two of them.

Most of the guests stayed well into the night, dancing and drinking and catching up. Steve and Taryn retreated to the deck for a breath of fresh air.

"What an amazing day," she said leaning on the rail, looking out at the gardens.

He put his arm around her waist and kissed her ear. "I don't know about you, but I think I'm ready to head upstairs."

She raised a brow. "Oh? Tired already?" she teased.

"Hardly." He pulled her close and kissed her long and slow and passionately. He had changed a bit since they had met, and with her he was no longer inhibited. They parted and he grinned at her, "I want to do that all night long."

"Mmmm I think that can be arranged."

Everyone wished them well and they departed for the elevator around midnight, while the guests stayed and partied. Daniel was at the front desk and ran over to them. "Captain and Mrs. Rogers! I trust that you had a lovely day?"

"Best day ever," Steve replied, shaking Daniel's hand.

"Well, congratulations!"

Even though it was midnight, the paparazzi were out and were snapping away on the outside of the hotel and from the garden. Inside some of the guests were snapping pictures on their phones and iPads in the lobby.

"Captain and Mrs. Rogers," said Daniel. "Your suite is ready for you. Please, follow Carl and he will show you to your rooms."

They entered the elevator and Carl kept staring at the two of them. Taryn found herself chuckling. Steve finally looked at Carl. "Is something wrong?"

"I… I'm sorry sir… I didn't mean to stare, it's just… why… you're Captain America, aren't you?  
Steve smiled. "That's right, son, I am. And this is my lovely wife, Taryn…"

Carl gawked. "Vibe…" he said in almost a whisper. "I had heard the rumors but… wow… just wow. An honor to meet you both…"

Steve shook his hand. "Well, thank you, son. Now I'm going to ask you a favor. I need you to personally see to it that no one disturbs us unless we call for something."

"Yes, sir!" He held the elevator door open for them as they walked toward the suite. "You'll find a few gifts in the room. If you need me to remove anything, just let me know." He opened the door for them and handed Steve the key. "Well, good night, Captain and Mrs. Rogers."

"Good night Carl," and he slipped him a hefty tip so he would help them remain undisturbed.

Carl was dismissed and headed back to the elevator. Taryn was about to enter the room and he grabbed her hand. "Oh, no you don't." He picked her up in his arms and carried her into the suite. She waived the door closed and leaned in and kissed him. He set her down gently and secured the door.

"Oh look, champagne and chocolates from Tony and Pepper. I'm not so sure I need another drink. I'm feeling pretty good right now." She went over to the large windows that overlooked the town. "Such a pretty view."

"Growing up in Brooklyn, I never thought I'd see a sight like this. A beautiful woman, with a beautiful view on my wedding night. Not too many girls were interested in a scrub like me."

She held out her hand to him. "You are not a scrub. Here we are, two Avengers, married, with a bottle of champagne and a trail of rose petals on the floor. Shall we see where they lead?"

She led him across the living room to the main bedroom in the suite. Rose petals dotted the carpet and the bed. She stepped close to him and unbuttoned his uniform jacket. Slipping it off, Taryn tossed it on a chair. He stood perfectly still as she slowly slipped off his tie and unbuttoned his crisp white shirt. Steve closed his eyes as she kissed along his jaw line, down his throat and in place of every button undone. She pulled the shirt tails from his pants and slid the shirt from his strong shoulders. Taryn walked behind him and ran her hands along his arms, and his broad chest. She kissed his shoulder and he leaned his head back, and she flicked her tongue against his ear. He let out a sigh and she smiled.

Walking back around to the front of him, she pulled him over to the bed and she sat. She looked up at him as she unbuttoned and unzipped his trousers. Taryn ran her hands up his chest and leaned in and kissed his stomach. She trailed kisses around his sculpted muscles, flicking her tongue out against his skin. He shivered and ran his hands through her hair. She smiled seductively up at him, and removed the head piece still in place. Steve pulled her to her feet and kissed her deeply, his fingers entwined in her soft curls.

He let his trousers fall to the floor, and moved behind her. He brushed her hair over her shoulder so he could undo the buttons at the back of her neck. He kissed her spine down to the small of her back, then unzipped the rest of the dress. He pushed it off of her shoulders and it fell to the floor beside his dress pants. Steve wrapped his arms around her waist and caressed her shoulders with his lips. Taryn reached back with an arm to run her fingers through his hair while he ran his hands along her bare sides. She moaned softly as he licked her earlobe and cupped her breasts in his hands. Taryn turned herself to face him feeling oddly shy, but very euphoric.

Steve took the vision of her in and considered himself the luckiest man in the world. He pulled her to him and they kissed fervently and he picked her up and carried her to the bed. They lay down together and he continued to kiss her while running his hand along her body. He slipped his hand beneath her satin under garment and she gasped. "Oh god, Steve…"

He trailed kisses along her neck and breast and found her nipple with his lips. Taryn grabbed his hair and cried out as his fingers deftly brought her over the pinnacle. Her breath was raspy in his ear as his hand continued its exploration of her body. He drew her lingerie off and pulled her over on top of him. She rose up and removed his boxers and settled herself on top of him. The length of him filled her, and they both gasped as she rocked back and forth atop him. Rogers held onto her hips and the feelings intensified until they both peaked and he pulled her to him fiercely and rolled her over beneath him. Steve found he couldn't stop, he had to continue and the sound of Taryn moaning with pleasure drove him on. He was making love to his wife and he did not want this moment to end. If felt like nothing he'd felt before, even with the previous times they had been together.

Taryn was breathless and clung to him as if she couldn't get enough of him. Her nails raked across his back and he brought her to cry out in bliss again and again. She was learning to keep up with him and tonight was no exception. Their lips found each other's and tongues intertwined. Each time was more intense and it continued all night long. They finally collapsed in each other's arms as dawn was breaking. They spoke not a word but both fell fast asleep, naked, spent and gloriously exhausted.


	23. Chapter 23 - Paradise Lost

_**Chapter 23**_

 _ **Paradise Lost**_

Taryn woke to the feeling of his soft lips on hers. She blinked her eyes open and found him smiling down at her. "Good morning, Mrs. Rogers."

She loved the sound of that. "Good morning, Captain Rogers." She drew him down to kiss her again, slowly and luxuriously.

"Hungry?" he asked her.

She wiggled her eyebrows at him and he laughed. "I meant for food. I thought we could order room service."

"Sounds like a delightful idea."

He stood and made his way over to the phone and she noticed all the scratches on his back. "Oops…"

Steve looked back at her. "What?"

"Looks like I did a number on your back… sorry about that. You were just too damn intense for me," she winked.

He turned his back to a mirror on the wall and looked over his shoulder. "Wow… we did a number on each other last night, didn't we?"

"Mmmm," she said dreamily. "And I wouldn't have it any other way. It's that bond that we share. It really intensifies things."

And he grinned. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." He walked over to her and kissed her nose, sitting next to her with the menu. They decided on breakfast, ordered and lay in bed in each other's arms until room service arrived.

Steve rummaged through his bag and pulled out a pair of lounge pants. Pulling them on, he went to the door. Room service rolled the cart in and set up breakfast in the dining room and discreetly left with no comment. Steve called into the bed room and she came out wearing a lace and satin sheath.

"You look lovely," he smiled, kissing her and holding the chair out for her to sit.

"Well, since we got right down to business last night, I didn't have a chance to put it on and seduce you."

He poured some coffee for her. "How about you leave that on and you can seduce me all day?"

She laughed. "I may just take you up on that offer."

"Seriously though, is there anything you'd like to do today?"

"Outside of the suite? No, nothing really. I just want to enjoy my husband and all the wonders he has to offer," and she winked at him.

"Sounds like a plan to me."

She grinned. "We can update the plans at any time. But don't forget, we have our own private villa and beach waiting for us too."

"Ah, yes, the Honeymoon…"

Taryn raised a brown. "You're not still brooding about not picking our honeymoon spot, are you?"

He chuckled. "No, I'm not. I'm just looking forward to having you all to myself on an island paradise with no interruptions."

She smiled as his blue eyes sparkled with mischief and love. They had come a long way together. Finding each other amidst turmoil and chaos and the craziness of their Avenger lives. Here she was, now married to this man who was famous the world over. She couldn't be happier.

The two stayed at the hotel until late checkout, then made their way back to the cabin. Taryn's parents had moved all of their gifts, even though they told people not to bring any, into the cabin; the living room was filled with packages and cards. Steve swept her up in his arms and carried her across the threshold again and set her gently by the couch. Steve took their bags into the bedroom to unpack while Taryn started some pasta for a quick dinner. Then they sat and ate in the living room, while going through their gifts. Then they indulged in the details of the all-inclusive resort into the wee hours of the morning, then retired to the master bedroom.

The following day, they followed up with a few of their guests, and Taryn's parents before packing for their honeymoon to an all-inclusive resort. They made their way to the airport to Stark's private hangar, where Pepper had loaned them one of their jets to take them to their island destination. At ten in the morning, they boarded the plane and settled in for the four and a half hour flight. Pepper had set up some champagne and berries and light sandwiches for them so they helped themselves. They reviewed the brochures again, deciding what activities they would do while in Antigua.

About three hours into the flight, Taryn excused herself to the rest room. While fixing her hair, she suddenly had a flash of alarm. She saw the plane going down in flames… Taryn burst out of the bathroom and ran up the aisle to the cockpit. Steve jerked his head up and instantly knew something was seriously wrong.

"You need to deviate from this course. Now!" Taryn announced to the pilot and copilot. Before they had time to react, a series of proximity alarms began to go off.

"What the hell?" cursed Steve peering over Taryn's shoulder at the digital displays.

"Incoming objects…" read the co-pilot.

"How many parachutes is this plane equipped with?" asked Rogers.

"There should be six," the pilot responded, taking evasive action.

Rogers ran to retrieve them as he braced himself while the plane pulled to the left sharply. Stark's pilot was former Air Force, used to combat flying, so he maneuvered the plane around several missiles streaking their way toward the plane. Taryn traced the trail of smoke and spotted a tiny island to the west of their current position.

"They're coming from there!" she pointed.

The pilot radioed that they were taking fire and were looking for a place for an emergency landing. One missile came in a little too close and exploded behind the plane, causing it to lurch in the sky. The pilot regained the control moments later. "The radio is being jammed. We're about 60 miles out from the nearest landing strip."

Steve returned with four parachutes and Taryn nodded. "Okay. This is what we're going to do. Get the 'chutes on and get as close to that island as possible…"

The co-pilot stared at her. "You wanna go where they're shooting as us?!"

"Quiet, Sal," the pilot snapped. "It's our only chance for survival at this point. We get shot down here, we're literally dead in the water."

The pilots donned their parachutes then set the auto-pilot, then Taryn and Steve followed suit. The pilot managed to bring the plane within a half a mile of the coast of the small island and Taryn nodded. "Good. Let's get out of here. I feel they're about to send another volley our way."

"Roger that," stated the pilot and the four made their way to the door of the plane.

While the pilots readied themselves and checked the equipment, the proximity alarms sounded again and Steve pulled Taryn aside.

"Whatever happens…."

She smiled softly. "I love you too," and she kissed him soundly.

"We're ready Captain, Agent," shouted the pilot as the door was opened.

Taryn nodded. "Try to stay as close as possible!" Taryn strapped her backpack to the front of her that contained her cell phone and laptop among other things, and the company of four leaped from the plane. Taryn concentrated on trying to shield the moving group. All accounted for, she extended her shielding and held it, sweat beading on her face. Suddenly, missiles were fired from the far side of the island just as parachutes opened. The four managed to maneuver away from the path but this time they hit the plane full force. The craft went up in a fireball, and the blast pushed the chutes quickly toward the island.

The group was close to the beach now; the swim to shore wouldn't be so long. Hopefully, there were no sharks that close to land. Taryn saw the pilot and co-pilot land about a half a mile northward on the beach. Steve was next to land and she watched him look up at her, anticipating her arrival.

Rogers practically caught her as she landed, and they scrambled to remove the chutes and roll them up to hide them.

"Some honeymoon," Taryn griped. Checking her back pack, she grabbed her pistol first, and they headed off down the beach to meet the pilot and co-pilot.

By the time they got to them, Taryn noticed the pilot checking over the co-pilot's ankle. "He twisted it pretty badly during landing."

"Hurts like hell… think we ought to find some shelter?"

"Well," said Taryn, scanning the area. "Whoever was shooting at us most likely knows we bailed. We need to find shelter and get the hell off this island as soon as possible."

Steve combed the area looking for something for Sal to use as a crutch while Taryn tended to the ankle. It was slightly swollen, but no bruising yet and nothing seemed broken. She used his belt to secure a functional splint, then went with the pilot, Rick in search of someplace they could rest out of sight. Steve stayed back with Sal.

"Be careful," Steve said quietly.

"I will. You too. There's something odd about Sal…"

Rogers raised a brow and nodded. Kissing her, he smiled. "I'll see you soon."

Taryn and Rick made their way deeper into the island, hoping to find some rock formations or a cave they could settle into.

"Sorry your honeymoon was ruined, Agent," Rick spoke after moments of silence.

Taryn chuckled. "Par for the course in my line of work…"

"I had the opportunity to meet the Captain some time ago. He's quite the hero."

"He is," she smiled. "Must be interesting working for Stark."

Rick snickered. "You could say that. Though more often than not, it's Ms. Potts."

Pepper… God she spent so much on this gift for them… She'd have to find a way to pay her back…

Rick interrupted her thoughts. "Agent Rogers, look!"

"Please, it's Taryn." She followed his arm to where he pointed and saw a cave situated on a slight hill. They picked up the pace and Taryn drew her gun.

Steve helped Sal into the tree line so they were not so exposed. He searched Taryn's pack and found a water bottle. He cracked it open and handed Sale some pain medication and water.

"Thanks Captain. Helluva predicament we're in…"

Steve sat on a stump beside him, nodding his head. "Yeah, well, we're not sunk yet. We'll find a way off this island."

The two sat in silence for some time and Steve observed how nervous Sal seemed to be. Remembering Taryn's warning, he watched the co-pilot glance around at the interior of the island, then at the sky and sea. Rogers was sure he was looking for something, or someone…. Had the co-pilot known they would be shot at?

"Don't worry," Steve said out loud. "They'll be back soon."

"Huh? What? Oh… oh yeah… right… Maybe I'll try to close my eyes for a bit."

Steve nodded and didn't keep his eyes off him.

Taryn and Rick reached the mouth of the cave and Rick scanned the area with Taryn's flashlight. The cave wasn't deep but would offer some protection from the elements and it was off the main path.

"This looks like a good spot for the night. The height will offer us some vantage over the path below," stated Taryn.

Rick nodded. "I'll get this area cleaned up. Why don't you head back and bring the others."

"All right, but take the gun. I sense wildlife, but I'm not sure how dangerous or docile."

He tucked the gun in the back of his waistband and she made her way back to the beach.

The cave was warm and dry and on their way to it, they gathered fruits and fresh water from a stream Taryn had located. Rick and Sal settled by the back of the cave and Sal curled up under a thermal blanket. Taryn led Steve away to the cave entrance.

"Everything okay?" Steve asked concernedly.

She shrugged. "Considering I'm spending my honeymoon in a cave with two other people, I'm just swell."

Steve pulled her to him. "I'm sorry. Not what I had planned either. We'll get through this. Then we'll make sure to get a way for a while."

She chuckled. 'Well, the sooner we're off this island, the better."

They returned to the back of the cave and Taryn could see the outside getting dark. She pulled her flashlight from her bag and set it on the ground. Steve had learned to stop asking her why she carried all this stuff with her. It seemed like every time they needed something, she had it in the seemingly indestructible pack.

"I'm going to take first watch. I want to check out the area around this cave."

Steve raised a brow. "You sure?"

"I can sense things around here and I can bring up my shielding… I'll be fine."

Rogers walked her to the mouth of the cave. "You know I have to say it, right? Be careful."

She kissed him quickly with a smile. "I will. Keep an eye on things here. Something still doesn't feel right."

"You got it."

Taryn made her way down the slope to the original path. She scoured the area with her eyes, ears and her abilities. More so the latter once the sun set. She got about a quarter of a mile away from the cave when she sensed something approach. Not human, or animal… then she heard the buzz over the tree tops in a search pattern. A drone. Whoever else was on the island was looking for them.

Figuring they probably had some kind of thermal sensors, she crouched in the underbrush as compactly as possible. She then heard a drone drop below the tree line. Reaching out she pin pointed its location and followed it to within a few feet of where she crouched. She could just make its silhouette out against the bright night sky. Taryn heard some kind of animal in the tree above her and the drone turned toward it. It hovered momentarily, then fired a small laser and the animal yelped. Taryn quickly projected a field around the drone before it fired again. The laser ricocheted around the inside of the bubble, then hit the drone and it deactivated. She let it drop to the ground, and made sure the lights and sensors were off before she picked it up. Taryn placed it in her pack and took it back to the cave.

Taryn found Steve sitting just inside the cave entrance snacking on some jerky she had left him. "Find anything?" he asked.

She lowered her voice. "We're definitely not alone on this island. Take a look at this."

"A drone? Any ideas where it came from?"

She shook her head. "But I'm hoping I can at least hack into the camera to figure out its flight path."

They sat down and Taryn mentally moved some debris in front of the mouth of the cave to camouflage it even more. Now that she knew drones were out looking for them, they couldn't be too careful. Steve helped Taryn disassemble the robot and she found the camera memory card and placed it in the card reader. She hacked the card and an image appeared along with sound.

"These will find them if they're on the island," said one voice.

"Good, good… Keep me informed," said the second.

Then the image on the screen showed the drone lift off and toward an open window. Taryn could see about four other drones fly out at the same time and in different directions.

This little drone then stopped at about fifty feet in the air and slowly did a three hundred sixty degree turn. Steve and Taryn could nearly see the entire island.

"Look, there's the beach we landed on," said Taryn as she watched the screen. The drone flew to the beach, examined some things in the sand then flew high up again. The sun was just setting on the left of the drone as it headed back inland.

"So the drone came from somewhere north of our position," Steve observed.

Taryn nodded and scanned the video for more clues. The drone was now flying in the dark and her suspicions of the drone having night vision were confirmed as it switched. She could see that it had followed the path that led from the beach to the cave and beyond, but it hadn't stopped at the cave.

It flew up above the tress once again to get its bearings and as it did, the glow of lights to the north betrayed the position of the facility where the drone was launched from.

"It's a small compound by the looks of it. I'm thinking that is where the missiles were launched from," added Taryn.

"Unless they have some ships off shore?"

"Let's hope not."

The two watched more footage and Taryn noticed that it never saw her on the path. It captured seeing the little monkey in the tree. "I have an idea. If I can rig this up to control it from the laptop, maybe we can get a better view of that facility. Besides I would think they'd keep pretty close track of these."

Steve nodded and helped her as he could to rewire the drone to accept her commands. She put the memory card back in and they took it out to the path near the cave. Taryn sat down and Steve held the robot as she readied it for launch. She turned the camera on once it hit the tree line, not wanting it to give away their position.

They returned to the cave and she flew the drone across the tops of trees toward the facility, all the while mapping the progress. She guided it into a window and settled it onto a table near a few other drones. Moments later, someone approached it.

"Well, what are you doing back?" The drone was picked up and then the picture went upside down. "Ahh," the operator continued. "I see you've been scrapping with the simians again. Well, I'll fix you in the morning." The drone was set down, footsteps walked off and the lights were turned off.

Taryn waited for about ten minutes before she activated the drone again. She piloted it around the room scanning for any clue who these people were. She had her suspicions, but was looking for confirmation. Taryn then flew the robot out an opening above the door and explored the darkened rooms with night vision. She found an open office, and settled the drone above the desk and zoomed into review some papers on the desk top.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" she asked Steve.

"HYDRA. Damn it. Better get that drone out of the office." She nodded and sent it back to the room she had originally landed in. "I think we should see what kind of external security we're dealing with. How can we get into this facility?"

The pilot, overhearing the conversation, spoke up. "In? You want to get in?"

Steve stood. "We need to get off this island and chances are they have either boats or helicopter or some form of transportation to get us back to the main land."

"What about contacting Stark? You have a laptop… phone…"

"This phone is not a satellite phone – no service. My laptop, while state of the art is not connecting to a satellite due to, I believe, interference from the HYDRA facility. I did send an encrypted email to Tony, but it hasn't come back as being received."

Rick looked crestfallen. "Oh… okay… sorry…"

"It's okay, we're all anxious. We'll get out of here soon," Steve responded. He sat and chatted with him while Taryn flew the drone undetected around the building, trying to scout out security points. The base didn't seem to heavily fortified other than being on an out of the way island.

Taryn landed the drone back where it had been, and she shut down her laptop to conserve battery. She tucked it away and yawned.

"You should get some rest," Steve stated as he sat down beside her.

"I know… just anxious. We can't stay her long. Especially if they send more drones out."

Steve settled next to her, pulling her back to lean on him. "C'mon, try to rest for a bit. I'll stay awake." She nodded tiredly and curled up against him, feeling his warmth and felt him kiss the top of her head. As he felt her relax against him, he was thinking of things he'd much rather be doing on his honeymoon than sitting on a cold cave floor in the middle of the night. At least they were now safe, and no one had sabotaged the wedding… He smiled thinking of her walking down the aisle in that gown looking gorgeous. He just wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, for however long or short that might be. He imagined them living at the cabin, taking their kids to the part in town, eating apple pie at the diner… He had thought craving a simple life was behind him, but with Taryn, he was envisioning that again.

Those thoughts kept him going until morning. He woke Taryn. "We should get moving."

Taryn yawned and stretched, gathered her things and strode to the mouth of the cave. Letting her mind search, she could only detect animals – no humans… yet. "All clear right now," she announced.

Rick was helping Sal stand and they made their way out of the cave, following the path Taryn had mapped using the drone. Steve led the group and Taryn kept mentally scanning the area for any sign of HYDRA tech or agents. They arrived at the facility without incident and found a place for the pilots to hide until they found some way to get off this island.

Steve and Taryn approached the building and found a non-descript door at the back of the facility. Taryn scanned for anyone on the other side, as well as any conspicuous security measures. With neither found, she picked the lock. "We'll need to be quick and careful. We don't know if there is a silent alarm on this door.

Steve nodded and they made their way inside. Taryn pointed in the direction of the room that housed the drones. They entered the nearby office and began to search the desk and files. Taryn grabbed some papers and flash drives and stuffed them into her pack. "Damnit, someone's coming!"

They exited the office and she threw her shields up around her and her husband. Suddenly, three gunmen burst around the corner, firing at will. Their bullets ricocheted off her shield and with a push the three flew back into the wall and collapsed.

Steve and Taryn took off down the hall and Taryn noticed the pilot and co-pilot being dragged into the building at gunpoint. "Steve! We can't leave them here!"

He nodded and they raced down the stairs to a set of doors where HYDRA agents led the pilots. Taryn kept her shielding up on the two of them as they peered into the small windows inset in the doors. One armed guard knocked the pilot to his knees and the co-pilot stepped forward and raised a gun to the side of Rick's head.

Taryn instinctively threw a shield around Rick and she and Steve burst into the room. A firefight broke out and Taryn ran to the pilot. "It's okay, let's get you out of here."

Sal fired the gun but it could not penetrate Taryn's shielding. She spun around and stormed at him, waiving away bullets like flies. "You son of a bitch. I knew there was something off about you." She lashed out with a right hook and Sal dropped like a sack.

More HYDRA agents flooded the room with guns blazing. Steve, without his vibranium shield, picked up a desk and tossed it at four agents, knocking them over like bowling pins. Taryn kept her shielding around herself, Rick and Steve as they fought through the crowd. Unexpectedly, her watch beeped and it took her a moment to register what that meant.


End file.
